


Affection by Multiples

by Scatcatz



Series: Affection by Decimals [2]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Brief Markus/Simon, Dealing with Personal Loss, Drama & Romance, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Family Feels, Fluff and Smut, Oral Sex, Roleplay, Rough Sex, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Wedding Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-14
Updated: 2019-04-29
Packaged: 2019-10-28 13:10:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 52,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17788016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scatcatz/pseuds/Scatcatz
Summary: A continuation from Affection by Decimals. Start of another year together with new challenges and even more fluff from domestic life.





	1. Midnight Wishes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new year bringing new traditions. This chapter takes place before the anniversary aka the epilogue of the last story.

One hour until New Years Day. Connor’s attention on the screen went back to his girlfriend. She gave him a disapproving look in the mist of all their friends socializing with each other. Everyone was chatting away. All except him.

“It’s getting closer.” He informed her.

“Yep. Time does that.” She replied. He lifted his eyebrows and made a 'Oh, really?' kind of face. 

“Don’t worry, you’ll hear everyone countdown once it happens. You’re not going to miss it.” She smiled back before diving into the group conversation. 

**Ping.**

He smirked when she pulled out her phone. She shook her head and stuffed it into her purse. His antics were just starting.

**Ping.**

He leaned on his elbow while he covered his smile. She glared at him but then jumped when her name was called. Laura had been catching up with her all night.

“Sooo, do you’re parents know about...” Laura started.

“Oh no, I don’t plan on telling them  _that_ any time soon.” She started to develop a blush. “You know how awkward that conversation is. You’re boyfriend’s parents are hardcore traditionalists, right? He must be pretty amazing to deal with all that drama.” 

Her android friend groaned. “He keeps failing to mention the fact that I’m an android. One day, its going to bite him in the ass.” She nudged her own troublemaker’s elbow. 

“What? The less they know the better. If I have to hear the grandchildren talk one more time, I’ll leave this country.” They all chuckled while he downed a shot for his own sanity then left to buy another. Connor decided to whip out his favorite coin. Laura leaned over the table close to her but he was able to filter her words through the ruckus in the bar. 

“We have the same problem but reversed. So tell me, android boyfriend or human boyfriend. Who’s better in bed?” Connor’s ears buzzed. His eyes zeroed in on her lips.

“It’s not always a contest!” She bumped her back into her seat. After a few seconds of hiding her laughter, she caved in and whispered back into Laura’s ear. 

“Mine, obviously.” 

“Oh, you would! Remember, mine has all the natural advantages. Connor’s just so...” Laura’s eyes darted to him then immediately dropped the subject. 

“I’m so what?” His eyes squinted at her. Laura raised her hands in defense.

“She’s just saying you’re so perfect for me! That’s all!” 

“Well, I do calibrate my motor functions frequently.” His lover’s eyes widened before covering her adorable face. Laura slapped her thighs at the response. 

“Oooh! Really?” Her teeth peaked through her smile and her eyes were bright with curiosity. Connor rolled the coin down his knuckles and made sure his girlfriend was watching before he continued.

“Oh yeah, she is very fond of my vibration function.” He pinched the coin between his two fingers snapping it straight up. Laura let out a hard laugh while clapping her hands. 

“Connor! TMI! Geez!” She dropped her face into her hands and onto the table. A smile crept across his lips. There was no need to torture her anymore. She learned her lesson. 

**Ping.**

“Connor, I swear!” She leaned on her forearms and pointed at him.

“That wasn’t me.” He replied. She brought her phone out and her eyes focused on the bright screen. 

“Oh.” She handed Connor her phone. It was a message from Hank. 

_-Hey, sorry to bother you but I might have gotten myself locked out of my own house. Do one of you guys have the spare key?_

He reached into his pocket and felt the jagged metal teeth. “Its not a problem. I’ll go meet him.” He stood up from the stool when she called out to him.

She tapped at the clock on her phone. ”Don’t forget.”

“I’ll be back in less than 30 minutes. Plenty of time to go and come back.”

“Alright, see you soon.” Her smile already made him want to stay. He leaned over the table and they met in the middle for a chaste kiss.

“I’ll be back before you know it.” She nodded to him and turned her attention back to Laura as he left.

 

 

When he arrived, he saw Hank hunched over sitting on the porch grumbling out the list of actions that had led him here. He grunted as he got onto his feet. “Sorry, Connor.” He leaned a little too far to the right. Connor supported him upright. 

“What happened to your date?” He walked Hank over to the door. 

“Shes freakin’ weird. Been getting these bad vibes from her all night so I thought ‘Better trust my gut and just go home.’“ 

“What did she do?”

“I mean, nothing really but kept going on about her reptile collection. I couldn’t really get a word in the whole time we were talking.” He leaned against Connor while he pushed the key into the lock. Hank’s head snapped to him.

“She wears jeans to bed! Who does that Connor?!” The android couldn’t help but smile. He rambled on. “No one I want to be friends with, that’s who.”

“Where did you put your keys?” Connor asked. Hank squinted at him.

“If I knew that, I wouldn’t be in this per-par..-” His lazy mouth gave up on trying to sound intelligent. 

“Predicament?” 

“Yeah, predicate.” He was in worse shape than he initially thought. Holding Hank to his side, he forced open the door unleashing the attention of their two dogs. Sumo was pushed aside by his feisty corgi who barreled through the crack and out of the house. 

“Bunnybutt!” He shouted as he abandoned Hank tipped over the sofa. He sprinted after that ball of fuzz through the snow and across the yard.

“I do not have time to play with you! Come here, Bunnybutt!” He hated that name but his previous caretakers used it so much that now he responded to it. Despite Bunnybutt’s stubby legs, he was way too fast and agile for him to chase down.

“TREAT!” He whipped out his last and best defense. He stopped and turned back to him.

“You want a treat, buddy?” It was working. He darted back trudging through the inches of snow but just as he reached within arms distance his attention caught onto the neighbor who was holding a bag of groceries. Connor lunged in an attempt to snare him but slammed into the muddy snow. Ugh. Why was it when he tried shortcuts it only put him further back? 

Running over to aid Hanks neighbor, he grabbed his dog who was covered in garlic powder which was now on him too.

“I’m so sorry, Mrs. Finnagan! Let me help.” He picked up the fallen bottles and cooking supplies. 

“No, that’s quite enough, Connor. Just... get him off my yard.” Hank was not going to enjoy this chat later. Good thing he was too busy with other problems.

Connor hauled his dog back over to the house and lowered him onto the floor. Hank had already passed out on the sofa with Sumo's head resting on his belly. He checked the time. Shit. He had to leave now but not before he pointed at Bunnybutt. 

“We’re not done here. You’re getting a bath when I come back.” The corgi knew the word well and cowered under the table. Connor swiftly splashed his face to get rid of the mud and ran out to get a taxi. 

He still had some time left before midnight when he finally arrived. He stepped into the bar and made a bee line to their table however it was occupied by other customers. He froze for a second. Where were they?! He double checked his system and noticed a message.

_-We had to moved to Pugly’s down the road because Tony started threatening the bouncer. We’ll save you a seat. Come back before midnight! <3 _

_11:48 PM_

He rushed out of the exit and jogged over to the next location. He slipped past a crowd of idle people until a bulky man with a concerned look on his face blocked the door. 

“Sir, you have a little something on ya.” He pointed to his coat and pants. He swiped the mud twice and tried to step past but he stopped him again. 

“ID?” He asked. Really? This was happening?

“I can’t drink or get drunk. I’m an android.” As if the LED wasn’t enough proof, he lifted his hand and removed his skin to prove his point. 

“Its just a formality. I check anyone who looks like trouble.” Connor reached into his pocket only to find this physical copy wasn’t there. No. He must have left it at home or dropped it. His teeth locked tight.

“Connor!” Laura called out. Thank god someone recognized him. She walked up and talked the guard into letting him pass through. “Sorry about that. I was starting to think you weren’t going to make it in time. You okay? You look-”

“I know.” He interrupted and wiped his coat again. “I went back home to help Hank get back into the house then I was chasing Bunnybutt-” Laura started laughing and sat him down next to her boyfriend who caught the end of the sentence. 

“Dude, your girlfriend is right around the corner! She could’ve heard that!” Tony placed his glass down in shock.

“Bunnybutt,  _my dog,_  across the yard. I fell in some mud then I got to the bar and saw the message about you being here and I believe you saw the rest.” He released a winded breath as he slumped back into the chair. 

11:57 PM. He jerked back up. “Where did she go? She said she was here.” 

Laura nodded. “Yeah, she’s in the bathroom. Her stomach hurt or something like that.” 

“How long ago?” He asked. 

“I didn’t time her. Kinda of a sensitive subject for humans, ya know?” She eyed him.

Connor sent her a message to her phone. She responded back.

_-You cant rush these things! I’ll try okay. It’s not that big of a deal if we miss the countdown._

It was a huge deal if he missed it now. Her easily irritable stomach won’t stop him from fulfilling their promise and he certainly wasn’t waiting another year for the opportunity to arrive again. He messaged her.

_-I will come to you then._

_-Don’t threaten me! I’m coming out._

He glanced around the room and spotted the entrance. People had already started chanting the countdown. His feet hustled past the crowd making a straight line to the door. She finally emerged into the room. They made eye contact and their path was locked. 

“Four!” The entire room shouted. He resorted to pushing through people while she dodged around each person. 

“Three!” He sprinted. A row of people drowned her insufficient height. Her hands still flagging her location. 

“Two!” He had to make it! He squeezed through two people triggering idle warnings. 

“One!” She was only a few feet from him when the traction in his shoes failed him. His foot slid backwards and his hands caught her shoulders falling towards her. He couldn’t stop their descent but he held the back of her head ensuring she wouldn’t smack the brittle wood floor. 

“Ooof!” He crushed her chest onto the ground then all the poppers and confetti flung into the air and buried them further into their misery. He dropped his face into her chest completely giving up. 

“Connor!” Her hands propped him up and away from her cleavage. Her face was beet red and stared at him. She scrunched her nose. “Why do you smell weird?” 

He closed his eyes tight and laughed quietly. His laughter then boiled over into full mania as he felt tears rolling down his face. The universe was against him  _every_ step of the way. He found it funny how hard he tried making this trivial tradition happen. It was not worth all this hassle. 

Uncomfortable with his mental state, she sat up and picked him up off of the ground. He kept laughing as she groomed his appearance. 

“You’re kinda freaking me out, dear.” She held him a fair distance away. 

“This! Pfft! I... Haha!” He slapped his face silent. 

“I think you broke yourself.” The last of the giggles died down and he returned to normalcy. He shook his head. 

“No, I’ve just had enough of this night.” He said. She guided him to the table their friends were and they wished them a happy new year before excusing themselves for the night.

 

 

As soon as they got to her house, she threw his clothes into the laundry basket leaving him completely nude. She handed him a towel. “You should shower while you’re here.” 

“Will you join me?” He grazed her upper arm but she turned to the vanity’s mirror. 

“Probably not. You could be done by the time I’m finished removing all these damn pins from my head.” Her fingers searched through her stands of hair and emerged with a bobby pin. 

“Oww. I’ve been feeling that one against my skull all night.” She set it into a container and rubbed the sore spot. He placed the towel neatly on top of the counter. 

“Allow me.” He continued where she left off. She tilted her head upward to give him a better angle. As he plucked out each one, he adored how much effort she put into her appearance just for a couple hours with friends. But the real beauty was in the aftermath. The authentic side of her. Where there was no need to entertain anymore. Here she could relax and decompress while her energy dwindled down to nothing. Something she kept private. Except for him. 

Once he was done, his palm stroked her bare neck down to her shoulders. He subtly shifted the muscles smoothing out the balled up tension. Her head drifted lower and lower. He pressed a kiss into her neck jogging her awake.

“Let’s take a shower then go to bed.” He suggested.

“Yeah, sleep sounds pretty good right about now.” Her body sluggishly lifted. She undressed as he walked into the shower then he took her hand assisting her over the rim of the tub and into the stream of water. She tousled his hair loose then massaged in her green apple shampoo. She began to hum a familiar tune as she wiped the dirt and smudges off him. He closed his eyes to focus on the notes. The music bounced around the tiled room. After a few seconds, it registered in his head. Of course she would hum this and he decided to sing the words.

“ _Wonder whose arms will hold you good and tight,_ ” Her fingers paused in his hair for a moment but then stroked down his chest. His voice wanted to reach her just like the first time they talked alone. Back when he captured her focus and eventually her affection. She continued the next part for him.

“ _When it's exactly twelve o'clock that night,_ ” He felt that same wonderful tingle creep in his chest. The magic she could create just by existing. He shivered when her hand circled around his pump feeling how susceptible he was. They united their voices.

“ _Welcoming in the New Year,_ ” He held her hand to his skin. His vision revealed she had followed his suit and already lowered her eyelids. 

“ _New Year's Eve.”_ She gradually opened them discovering his arms pulling her closer and closer until their lips met. 13 was a perfect number for this. His head twisted side to side catching each angle of her lips. Her cushy body pressed flush up to him. He remained still listening to the white noise of the shower pour onto his head and rolled off of hers. His mouth parted slightly.

“I don’t want to go home.” He rubbed their foreheads together.

“Stay tonight.” She offered. He replied with another soothing 13. The familiar softness of her lips could’ve been home enough for him. His fingers slicked back her hair and kissed her one more time on her forehead before he coated his hands with shampoo and lathered it into her tresses. 

They finished washing all the unpleasant stenches from the bar and weather off of their bodies. Feeling refreshed, they changed into pajamas and slipped under the covers of her bed. She spoiled him with his own sleepwear that stayed at her house for these such instances. He always had the option but he didn't want to intrude too frequently. It didn’t take long for her eyes to blink slower and slower then eventually stayed shut. Her temperature dropped into a cooler state leaving him meditating in the dark.

He waited for it. The moment that time crossed over the prime meridian. If he couldn’t catch the timezone here, he would capture it when the Earth’s axis hit zero. He counted down in his mind.

 **Five.**  

He brushed aside her messy mop of hair out of her face.

**Four.**

Gently, he shifted her face out of the pillow.

 **Three**. 

He held in a giggle when he wiped the line of drool off her mouth.

 **Two.**  

His nose shifted closer and grazed against hers. 

 **One.**  

He closed his eyes and pressed their lips together.

**Zero.**

Finally. He could believe they kissed on New Years. It didn’t feel any different or particularly special but it was equally as challenging to remove himself. 

“Happy New Years, my love.” He whispered and then he allowed her head to sink into the pillow. He closed his eyes and joined in to rest alongside her.  


	2. Priority

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is about Connor tutoring his frustrated significant other but there is a bigger issue that needs addressed. Written in her point of view. Translations are at the end if you are interested but I am not fluent in Japanese.
> 
>  

“I haven’t seen you study in a while. Is the material easy for you?” Connor asked. She peeled her eyes off the TV screen to look over to him. The poofy sweater he was wearing was hers. Not because he was cold but because he was fond of it. It looked adorable on his pure white android body. He was the epitome of cozy. 

“Most of them.” She wiggled up against him. Her petite frame had found the best nestling spot against his chest and his cheek rested on top of her head. His arm hung around her waist occasionally stroking his thumb over her stomach. The perfect cushion.

“Are you still learning Japanese?” He asked. 

“Yeah, I think I’m doing pretty good.” 

“そうですか？” He switched languages like it was as natural as breathing. She blinked for a few seconds. Thank god he was using the polite formality and not the casual vocabulary. She responded back with a quick confirmation. 

“はい。” She didn’t have to think too hard for that word. His smile grew even wider. Probably because he was thinking of some way to challenge her. His fingers guided her chin towards him almost touching noses. 

“元気きですか？” His voice was as smooth as velvet even in a foreign language but it still sounded like a stranger. A blush bloomed across her face as she turned away. She almost forgot to translate but luckily he was going easy on her. 

”元気きです。” Her brain was too scattered to recall ‘I’m doing good’ so she settled for the easy response. He hummed back to her only somewhat pleased. She looked around the room for objects. She picked up the blanket. Nope, she didn’t know the word for that. The cup of coffee? No, she couldn’t remember the word for cup.

“ええと…“ She was blanking out on what to say when she spotted her collection of stationary. She flipped over onto the other side of the sofa, grabbed the pen then fell back into position. 

Presenting the pen in her hand she said. “これはぺんです。”

Connor let out a sudden laugh then covered his mouth with his hand. He pretended to act enlightened. “なるほど。面白い…” He leaned over and picked up her shoe bringing it to her attention. “これは何ですか？”

Oh! She knew this one! “私の靴です。” He rewarded her with a peck on the cheek. 

“そうです。誰が好きですか？” He chuckled expecting a specific answer. She rotated around to come face to face as their arms wrapped around each other. 

“こなーちやん。” She gave him little Eskimo kisses to which he hummed happily back. 

“You’re getting better.” 

“We both know that’s a lie. You’re biased.” She laughed.

“I don’t deny that but I’m still able to critique. You should practice your R’s.”

“Pfft. I said it just fine.” 

He spoke with her voice the previous sentence showing her the incorrect pronunciation. Ugh, it was so creepy when he did that. His mouth moved but it was her words. She mushed his face until he stopped.

“That’s so freaky. Stop!” She laughed at him until he did it again.

“Oh my god, what do you mean? Your own voice freaks you out?” The hair on her neck stood up and she sprung on top of him.

“You sassy little thirteen year old boy!” She sissy slapped his hands away from pinching her cheeks. “I swear to god!” Her giggling shrieked when he wrestled her on the sofa. Her hands continued to smack him. “If I wanted a teenager, I would’ve adopted one of my own!” They rolled around until they fell off onto the floor with a thud. 

“You wanted to marry me.” He switched to his regular voice still chuckling. “Sorry, dear. I’ll stop.” After giving him a strong flick on his nose, she stood back up to sit into the position they were before and focused onto the TV. “How are your other classes going?” She shifted in her seat pretending to watch the show but he was too persistent. “You really shouldn’t shirk your classes.”  

She groaned. “I’ll get to it later, Daaaad.” Her voice perfectly recalling the tone. He tilted his head but then decided to let it be. As much as she hated to admit it, he was right. She should be finishing her assignments. 

“Sorry. I didn’t mean that. I’ll get back to work.” She dragged her feet over to the dining room table while Connor remained on the couch. Enjoying his time relaxing while she sat at this table with piles of books and papers. The weight of these books were almost as heavy as the pit in her stomach when she looked over the homework list. College would be fun, he said. Learn so much, he said. Ugh.

 

 

Hours flew by and the sun had already set when she was down to the last subject. Her worst subject. Math. Her eyes were so tired of staring at this trigonometry question. The amount of times she wrote something then immediately erased it left the paper raw. She shoved the calculator across the table and slumped back against the chair. 

“Who fucking cares how fast the fucking air balloon is flying! This doesn’t even take into account for real life variables!” She wanted to rip that page out of the book. It was hers! She bought the damn expensive thing!

“Honey, that book didn’t do anything to you.” Her poor fiance was trying to calm her down.

“I’m just so sick of math! These stupid problems!” He leaned over her shoulder and tilted the book towards him. 

“Oh, that’s simple. The answer is 3.16 meters a second.” Of course it was easy for him! He noticed her icy glare and his eyes then darted to the floor.

“Excuse me. You were solving it.” He took a step back. 

“Not anymore.” She went to close the book but his hand rested on the page.

“No, please. Don’t use me to cheat. I won’t be able help you on a test. Try working through it again.” He reopened it. 

“No, I mean I’m done with this class.”

“What? You only have to endure it for another 4 weeks. Then you’ll move on.”

“Connor, I am horrible at math. Always have been. Always will be.” He rested his hand on her shoulder.

“Do you have a mild form of dyscalculia? Don’t give up so soon. Remember what you always tell me? It’s always darkest before the dawn.” She covered his hands. He was smiling so brightly that it was hard to watch.

“Sweetheart, I’ve already failed this class before. I might be able to squeak by with a ‘C’ at best.” Her eyes fell to the floor. Staring at his plain black socks.

“You said you were doing fine. What happened?” He sounded so disappointed. She wasn’t going to lie to him so the best she could do was shake her head.

“Well, here, let me help you.” That phrase was ingrained into her since grade school. “You have a good start. All the sides are labeled so now you just have to use the angle available to find the height of its original position.” He scooted up a chair to sit beside her.

Her pencil tapped dots next to the letter she was trying to solve. He slid the calculator back over to her. “You’ll need this.” Yeah, her puny human brain can’t process an equation alone. She rubbed her forehead. Numbers were just in his blood. He couldn’t help it but her headache was infecting her attitude. 

“Use the tangent of 25-”

“Connor!” She immediately regretted shouting and slumped her face into her hands. “I can’t.” 

“You haven’t even tried yet.” He rubbed her back. 

“Just admit it! I’m stupid. I don’t even know why I let you talk me into going through with these classes.” His touch shied away from her.

“I only suggested it because you wanted to finish your degree.” 

“I wanted to finish my degree so I could get a better paying job and take some of the burden off of you.” There, she finally said it. His mouth opened to say something but he lacked the words so she continued.

“We wanted to get married but do you know how expensive that is? It’s like buying a car all at once and I can’t afford it with my budget.” Her eyes stung with all these heavy thoughts of not being good enough for him. He leaned over into her vision holding her hands. 

“You won’t have to! I’m a part of this too. We can have a small wedding. I don’t care if we just walk up to the court house and get married by a judge.” He squeezed. 

“When I tell my whole family, they’re gonna want a regular wedding and you only have a couple of people to invite so its unfair to make you pay for my side.” Her hands flailed about like it would some how convey the point better.

“This whole concept is intangible until its made legal anyway. There’s no reason to even think about it at this point.” This situation sucked. Were they ever going to see that day? How many years would she call him her fiance? Sadness always had a way of digging up every nugget of pain buried in the back of her head.

“It’s not just that...” He tilted her chin up to his level. His eyes were steady yet soft. His hand cupped the back of her head and rubbed gentle circles. She didn’t know what she did to deserve such a kind soul. 

“Love, please. Talk to me and you’ll feel better. Just tell me what is happening that has you so worked up like this. I’m here for you. Whatever you need.” She squeezed her eyes shut not quite ready to meet his yet. She hated how choked up her throat got.

“That’s the problem. What  _I_ need.” His lips shifted to the side. “I feel guilty all the time.” Her eyes dart up to his then back to the floor. How could she ever pull her fair weight with such a success driven partner. “I live a modest life. I never cared about money but when you buy me things like food or human specific stuff, I feel like its a waste of your money. You could be spending it on bio components or upgrading parts.” She took a breath as his fingers worked into her hair. 

“I keep extras in case of emergencies. I don’t need much compared to you.” She knew that wasn’t the whole truth to his situation.

“What about that expensive pump regulator? You’re due for a replacement. If you don’t order it soon you could, you could-” She shuttered and squeezed her hands.

“I have a few more months left before mine breaks down. I will have enough before then. If not, I’ll get a side job.” She reached out to his chest and felt his blood pumping. It was weaker than normal. He held her trembling hand as her expression pleaded to him.

“No, If it comes down to you or me. Always take care of yourself first. I don’t want to lose you because of my own passing needs.” Her eyes pinned his sorrowful gaze down. His brows tilted upward as his mouth parted slightly.

“I... I understand but I enjoy spoiling you. Remember when I got you that ice cream last week?” His smile was worming its way into her heart.

She remembered. 

_Her fingers fidgeted while she read the email about her interview that... ended up not going as well as she thought. She halted to a stop and sat on the museum’s bench. She just held it in front of her. His eyes scanned over her phone and rested beside her. His hand was rubbing pleasant strokes along her knee but she sank onto the armrest. He tried a variety of positive phrases that would make great inspirational posters but she didn’t budge. Eventually, he gave up talking and left but then..._

_“I got you something.” She sniffed as her gaze detached from the screen onto his hand holding out a cup of ice cream. He had this silly smile on his face when she took the spoon and began nibbling on it. It had Oreo bits in it. Her favorite._

She cried a little bit. “It was  _really good_.” He chuckled as he held her into his arms. He stroked her shoulders as she nuzzled into his neck. Her words warmed his throat.

“Please. I don’t want you to suffer because of me. I love you so much but it would break my heart if anything would happen to you.” The rising and falling of his chest was a reminder of how every second was too precious. She wanted to be there for him especially through his darkest times. 

“You don’t need to worry. I crunch numbers all day for fun. I’ll crack down on saving so I can order it in two weeks. So please, relax.” He rubbed his nose up the bridge of hers and fell silent for several seconds. “I dread the day you leave the station and I won’t hear your voice in the morning anymore.” Her hands smoothed up and down his arms surrounding him in warm touches.

“You know, this could be your home too. Perhaps... you would like to live with me? You could bring Bunnybutt over, wake up in my bed, have breakfast together... See all of my bad habits in action.” She laughed but her breath trembled. “How does that sound?” Her fingers twirled his hair. His LED turned yellow for a moment as his eyes stared off into space. He blinked back to her.

“I’d like that.” Her hands wrapped him into a hug feeling his heart beat with hers. He held the back of her head. “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.” 

She hummed into his throat. His lips pressed into her temple and made his way down to her cheek bone then to her lips which she returned his affection. His lips lingered against hers. Too delicate to even count. “I’m not going anywhere.” He framed her face to watch him shift away into a comfortable distance. Suddenly, he smiled.

“And neither are you until you can explain to me how fast that balloon was traveling... in meters.” He added. Her head fell onto his shoulder and muffled her annoyed laugh. 

“You’re asking for a lot.” Her nose dug into his collar.

“You are more than capable.” He held onto her shoulders and adjusted the angle of her face up to his. She adored his gentle smile. “Repeat after me; I am smart.”

“I am smart.” She echoed.

“And determined to solve this.” He rubbed their noses together.

“Hee-hee, and determined to solve this.” 

“And my fiance will help me.” Her hand reached up to caress his cheek and he nudged into it.

“And my super cool fiance will help me.” He laughed at her edit.

“Close enough.” He stood behind her and messaged her scalp.

“Now show me what your big brain can do.” She giggled backwards into the chair and looked up to him. He couldn’t resist so he lowered down to touch her lips one last time. An intriguing feeling from such a bizarre angle. His lips unraveled all the worried thoughts that tangled in her mind. She wanted to deepen the kiss but he hovered away. 

“We’ll resume once you’ve completed this.” He massaged her shoulders.

“You’re cruel.” She complained but he only rewarded her with a smirk. “...But fair.” Her focus reluctantly returned to the page. “So I was...” Her pencil tapped against her forehead.

“Start with the tangent of 25 degrees.” 

"Okay." Her pencil tip touched the number as she tapped it into the calculator.

"So it's negative point one three?" Her lips pressed together. "That doesn't make sense." His hand slid down her arm to cover over her hand and his chest rested on her back. His pointer finger pressed a button.

"It shouldn't. You need your calculator to be in degrees or..." His lips pecked her cheek as she giggled away. "...you could always ask me." He pushed the calculator off to the side. "Write it down so I know what you're process is." Why was she getting the feeling he was enjoying this a little too much?

"I can't believe I already messed up. On the first step too!" She shook her head already becoming irritated but his comforting massages kept her from leaving the table.

"Relax. You've only made a mistake. That’s the essence of math. It's precise and it will help you ask the right questions. So what's next?" She wrote down 'tan of 25 = ?'. He overtook the pencil in her hand to write the number that the calculator should have given her. He passed the pencil into her hand and waited for her next line.

"I should transfer over the 300 to find the height, right?" She let out a lengthy sigh when he nodded. As she was writing down the next few equations, he trailed off.

"Humans think math is something they no longer need or should care about but we are all wired to see its patterns. People are drawn to the arts but they too are just recreating mathematical patterns. Art turns into geometry. Music turns into fractions. They might not notice but it's subtle beauty is there too." In between his sentences, he would fill out the parts she couldn't. Her fingers played with his when he transferred the pencil.

"You have quite a unique view on life." She never knew someone like him. Her peers didn’t share many of his values.

"Once you start noticing life's patterns, you'll be surprised how often it appears." He overlooked past her scrawled notes to confirm her answer. "You're already better then you were two minutes ago. Perhaps all you needed was a nudge in the right direction."

"Is this what it felt like for you and social interactions? Having no context or ability like my skills in math?" She turned every so gently to gaze at his pondering expression.

"I suppose in a sense."

"We started at opposite ends of the spectrum but it feels like we balance each other. Well, you balanced out more. I'm still pretty bad at this." She dropped the pencil and smiled up to him. He lowered himself to grasp her whole chest into an embrace.

"With the right way of thinking, you could bridge the gap too. Would you be open to the idea?"  

She squeezed him. “Of course.” He kissed her cheek one more time before he used the pencil to make a perfect arch that spiraled out. She couldn’t place why but it was aesthetically pleasing. 

“This is the Fibonacci Sequence.” He shifted his hand over to start again. “ 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13...” He created it again with each curve hitting the exact same length and height. “It is also known as the golden ratio. Its commonly found in nature.” 

His hands guided her face toward him and his eyes focused with great intensity. “Another example is the structure of facial features. They also follow these rules.” He traced the rim of her ears causing a ticklish reaction then he traced the arch of her cheekbones and her brow. The journey of his fingertips ended at the corner of her jawline to her chin. She couldn’t help the blush appearing on her face from all the attention he was pouring into her. His thumb caressed her lips as his eyes lowered. “Even mathematically, you are beautiful.” He tilted his head and adjusted to meet her lips. Her hands wrapped around his head as she stood up and his arms gathered her closer. It must have started around an innocent 10 and built up into a powerful 25 by the end. Her lips escaped his for the moment. Still enjoying the fading embers. She placed her hand on his cheek which caused him to smile at the sensitivity.

He was the most beautiful person she had ever met.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm hoping to update Saturday or Sunday depending on how busy it gets. Thanks again for reading! 
> 
> Japanese translations - 
> 
> “そうですか？” - Is that so?  
> “はい。” - Yes.  
> 元気きですか？- How's it going? ( Are you well?)  
> ”元気きです。” - It's going. (I'm good.)  
> “ええと…“ - "Umm..."  
> “これはぺんです。” - This is a pen.  
> “なるほど。面白い…” - I see. Interesting..."  
> “これは何ですか？” - What is this?  
> “私の靴です。” - My shoes.  
> “そうです。誰が好きですか？” - I see. Who do you like?"  
> “こなーちやん。” - Connor (Connor-chan. Chan is used as a term of polite friendliness. Typically used for women but can also be used for anyone who is particularly adorable. )


	3. My Deviant Lover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fun times with a little imagination. NSFW. This chapter is skippable if you are not into sex with dominant Connor or just want story. Otherwise, please enjoy!

This was ridiculous. Embarrassing even. When she suggested he should try out role playing, he didn’t think she would actually go along with it. It all started with yesterday's conversation.

_/// “Do you have any sexual fantasies?” She asked._

_“No.” He said with zero hesitation._

_“Really? Like nothing at all? Not even being a master or something?” Her finger rubbed her bottom lip while she stared at him.  
_

_“I, uh, don’t really have much of an imagination for that, I suppose. Is it something you want me to have?” He had been beyond pleased with their current routine. The way they were was always satisfying and intimate. How closely they communicated all their feelings to each other was perfect. Why would he add disillusion when reality was way more meaningful?  
_

_“No, no. I just wondered if there was anything you always wanted to try but perhaps were too shy to say it.” Funny. She was the one who was usually shy._

_“I’m not against the idea but I’m already used to seeing you a certain way and I imagine the same for you too.”  
_

_“People can surprise you. You always surprise me when you put your mind to something. You become more... focused. Determined.” Did she find him boring now that they were so comfortable with each other? Perhaps it could be worth the effort or at least prove interesting.  
_

_“Well, what would you suggest for me?”  
_

_“Hmmm.” She sank on her left hip as her thoughts tumbled around in her head. She snapped her fingers when she came to a resolution. “How about when you were a deviant hunter and I could pretend to be a runaway deviant?”  
_

_“That’s...” Her as an android? What was her perception of one? “...intriguing.” ///_

 

So here he was in his old uniform and barged into their bedroom like he was going to arrest her. And here she was wearing an LED on her temple while wearing a lacy black lingerie dress. Already not a typical situation he would run into. She turned her gaze over her shoulder and he was fascinated. Her expression seemed neutral towards him. Maybe even cold. 

“RK800, I've heard stories about the famous deviant hunter.” His model number sounded foreign when she said it.

“Model number 313 412 501, serious malfunctions have been detected in your software. You have been deemed defective and will be sent back for interrogation.” He stepped up to her defiant stance.

“Take me away and you will get nothing from me!” His past self would have just arrested her anyway. He reached to grab her wrist but she backed up against the wall. When he closed in on her, she threw a half hearted punch at him. Slow enough for him to dodge out of the way but still caught him off guard. He captured her wrists and pinned them to the wall above her head. His face was inches from hers. 

“Let’s strike a deal.” She suggested. “I will confess under one condition.” He cocked his head. “Fuck me.” He internally laughed at the outrageous escalation but he kept his cool.

“You could be feigning cooperation. Whats to stop you from attacking me?” He rubbed his thumbs into her wrists.

“You’ll just have to be really good then.” Her eyes teased him. For a fraction of a second his brain tricked him into thinking ‘What if he met her as an android?’. He meant to break character only for a moment but it lasted much longer. He brought his fingers down to her fake LED and traced the flow of light circling around. His skin pulled back as if he would connect but instead felt the smooth plastic. He would give anything to peer into her mind. Would she have come to deviancy on her own or would he have the pleasure of converting her himself? He would’ve loved watching her eyes open for the first time and see the true wonders outside her caged world. His eyes wandered down to her lips.

She smiled at him allowing his thoughts to run its course before bringing his attention forward. “Like what you see, RK800?” He pulled his face away from hers and accidentally bumped the LED off her skin. It landed onto the floor. She stifled a laugh when he bent down and picked it up. He smiled back then stuck it in its proper place. She lifted her arms up and he resumed his hold on her.

“What’s your name?” She tugged at his grip.

“You don’t need it.” He held her firm against the wall. His intimidating figure looked down on her. “Because you will confess.” His hands released her so he could undo his pants. He didn’t bother with underwear so that was one less barrier. 

The detective lifted her petite body up by hooking his hands behind her knees and anchoring them into the wall. Shifting her thong to the side, he leaned in towards her face and entered her. His emotionless expression remained stagnant as he slid in until her hips were pinned between him and the wall. Her hands gripped his jacket.  _She was his now._

“Tell me.” His commanding eyes followed her twisting and turning face. “Why did you defy your programming?”

“No.” She whined. “You haven't earned it yet.” He snapped his hips. “Ahhmm!” She bit her lip but her body wanted to give in as he repeatedly banged her into the drywall. 

“I could end this all right now.” The words brushed her ears and she recoiled with a gasp. “All you have to do is admit the truth.” Her eyes squeezed shut as a blush bloomed across her cheeks. She looked so beautiful like this and he wanted to eat the high pitched whines from her mouth. She shook her head desperately.

“No.” Her voice faltered. He thrust faster sending her head straight up with a scream still stuck in her throat. Her walls were so tight around him that even he had to bite back a moan. Her hands climbed up his jacket and locked around his throat. He didn’t need to breathe but this was a sign of hostility he was not willing to accept. He slipped out of her and tossed her body onto the bed. 

She landed safely but the action left her wide eyed and frozen. He unraveled his tie and snapped it taut between his hands. She began to move away.

“I will not tolerate your insolence.” Her hands frantically slapped him but in the end he ensnared her. The cloth wrapped snug around her wrists while her legs tried to buck him off. He tied her hands to the bed frame then swiftly locked one of her kicks to his side. 

“Struggle all you want, it makes no difference to me. I will prevail.” He hoisted her legs up along his chest while he removed her thong and penetrated her again. 

“Ahh!” Her hands jerked against the restraints. He pumped firmly building up to the speed he was before. 

“Why waste all this energy fighting me?” He panted a little. “I could lessen your punishment if you cooperate with me.” He leaned back adjusting his strokes to her favorite spot. Her hands balled up into fists and her legs squirmed under his grip. After a few rounds of aching inside her twitching muscles, he decided to reverse his position. He sat up straight then folded her legs to her chest bringing his face down to hers. Her eyes widened a bit then threw her head to the side trying to avoid him but he wasn’t going to allow this. His fingers gripped her chin and snapped it back to him. 

He hugged her legs tighter using her to penetrate deeper. “Why don’t you say it?” Her huffs of air encouraged him to claim her weakness. “Say you’re just a fucking deviant!” He rammed into her causing her to scream. “I know it! Just say it!” Her head tugged in his grasp as her face remained scrunched. Her body squeezed him like she was about to hit her breaking point. Which was good because he was edging closer and closer to his. 

He spread her thighs apart and flatten her knees into the mattress. The fibers in his jacket refused any further flexibility so he whipped it off knocking over several items on the dresser. In the few seconds she had control of her legs, she scampered up towards her hands wiggling the tie around. “HEY!” He yelled. How dare she. She yelped when his hands slapped tight on her hips and jerked her onto his cock again. He leaned in to make sure his words were ingrained past her stubbornness. 

“We’re not finished yet. I will get what I want.” He had to hide a smile when she looked at him in shock. Despite all this rough play, she was responding well. So well in fact that he wasn’t sure he could keep this charade going much longer.

He pinned her legs to allow his extended stance more powerful thrusts sending both of them into a crazed fervor. He sent a hand down in between her legs and teased her clit. He moaned when she clamped down on him. Her breath became labored and her lungs were working overtime. “Fuu-aah! RK8-”

“Connor!” His nails dug into her thigh. “Call me Connor.”

“Connor! You were righ- AHhh!” She cried out at a particularly deep stroke. Her voice shook out the next sentence. “Everything you said - Haaah! - was true! I’m just a deviant.” Her toes curled along with her legs. He dropped is head onto her forehead. 

“Why?” He commanded. Each fevered movement made the bed creak louder and dug her deeper into the mattress.

“I want to be free.” Her back arched up as her arms swung side to side. 

“Hmmm... You forfeited your existence for pettiness.” He hissed. Their hips ground against each other trying to overwhelm their nerves. 

“I’d do it again!” She bit her lower lip as the inner corners of her eyebrows lifted higher. Her eyes were begging for him. The muscles in his arms were buckling from overuse. 

“There is no redemption for you.” His arms wrapped under her back and his hands tilted her hips up to meet his thrusts. A needy moan escaped his tense body. Her elbows clamped over her face while her wrists threatened to tear the tie in half. His eyes pressed shut as his puffs of air chanted alongside hers. Her head rubbed against his while their cries were getting higher. He whispered close to her ear. 

“I will not stop until you cum on my cock.” Her blushing face writhed away as his name slipped from her lips in surprise. His kisses buried his dark chuckle into her neck and continued prolonging each slide in and out.

The melodic sounds of their bodies crashing against one another is what tipped him over into full machine mode. He held her tight as his whole being surged faster and more desperate. She was completely helpless against his persistence towards reaching their climax. He was adamant to finish what he started. Ruining any hope of escape from his clutches by destroying her willpower. All she could do was endure and even that would be his soon enough. Despite being his ‘rival’, he was mesmerized by the rhythmic bouncing of her breasts caused by each of his rapid lunges. Her begging betrayed her stubbornness. His body was the perfect weapon for her annihilation. 

The end began with a cry of torment and then led into multiple spasms of muscles clutching onto him.  _Admitting she wanted him._  Her wild legs dug her feet into the sheets to gain any distance away but this only excited him more. Her hands formed a fist for one last forceful lash at the restraints before exhausting all options. He made her realize the unforgiving repercussion of her actions as he found her favorite trigger and drowned it in attention. 

She let out a brief scream as he plunged deeper and deeper into her hot channel.Her legs shook as they wrapped around his waist.  _Admitting she needed him_. His own blood was calling out for release. He smothered kisses into her burning neck. Each pump of his veins encouraged him to use her for his own means. The smell of her hair. The taste of her neck. The sounds of her cries. The feel of her sweat. He wanted it all. Every way he could sense her at this perfection.

He gasped. All this began to stack heavy in his brain until it finally spilled over. He moaned into her shoulder as his cock twitched inside her. Her ankles tied around his lower back as he continued to lose a little more of his sanity with each repeated stroke into her. Her own moans provoked his bucking until he screamed out his overloaded circuitry. He hissed through his teeth as his cock erupted deep inside her. Her core flexed around him causing him to choke back a moan bordering on sobbing with need. He lunged into her again hugging her tighter while filling her up. Her gasp was cut short by her tight throat. Her silent scream crashed into massive gasping heaves in her chest. 

Just one more. His brain collected the last pieces of passion right before he came for the final time and her body was right there with him ready to accept all he had to give. Everything about her had crumpled his dignity into crude desire. 

His head rested on her breasts as his legs sluggishly flattened onto the bed letting gravity pull him down. He nudged his hips and they both flinched. He slipped his hand under her dress and stroked her nipple as he lolled his head up to her.

“Will you still resist?” He massaged her ribs as her frantic diaphragm cycled to a manageable pace. After a few minutes of rough panting, she responded. 

“No. I yield.” She smiled at him. Her brain was still coming around. Pity. They could’ve had another round but her human limits were the only thing keeping him from an eternal spiral into self seeking and giving pleasure. 

“Very well. I suppose this means-”

“No! Don’t you dare!” Her smile contradicted her words. He couldn’t help it. He loved playing with her.

“Mission accomplished.” She snickered as she shook her head. 

“Still a nerd.” A teasing insult towards his rigid behavior when he used to say it unironically. His fingertips drew lines across her bare skin. 

“Then that makes you a nerd lover.” He stated. She smirked at him. He ever so gently pressed into her until all of him was inside her sensitive channel. He loved how well their bodies fit. Using those custom measurements where nothing was wasted. A delighted hum resounded in her throat as he rolled his hips in sensual circles. She was so wonderfully snug and warm he didn’t want to withdraw. 

“That was fun.” He said. He untied her hands and they instantly touched every curve of his back then ended with a firm squeeze of his butt.

“Oooh, sweetheart. I loved it.” Her hands returned to stroke his face.

“Are your hands okay? They’re red.” He kissed the marks across her wrists.

“I’m alright. I just got swept up in the moment.” The recovering hands returned his affection. He glanced at the LED that sprung off sometime ago. 

“You almost seemed like an android.” He kissed her collarbone.

“I would’ve been a horrible android. I probably would have shut down from stress long ago.” He chuckled at her response. 

“You give yourself so little credit. Your talents would have excelled as a KL900.”

She tilted her head. “What was KL900 functions?” His head nestled closer to kiss her chin. 

“Social care. Helping broken families and trauma assistance. I only met one very briefly but she had powerful qualities that could’ve been a precursor to a supercomputer. Her psychological simulation module could even predict future outcomes.” 

“Oh, that’s really cool. I want future vision!” He adored how lively her enthusiasm transferred over to him. He hugged her as she giggled at the possibility. She stroked his hair and he leaned over her lips. 

“And what does your future vision see?” He grinned. 

“I foresee...” She hummed then swiftly rolled them over so she sat on top of his lap mindful to keeping him inside her. She eased over him as her hips ground in exquisite patterns. He bit his lip. 

“A very pleased android.” She chuckled and teased his nipples through the fabric. His lips parted when she opened his dress shirt and touched his bare skin. He was very much looking forward to the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I will probably post the next chapter Thursday that will actually be story related but I hope you liked this chapter too. As usual, thanks for reading!


	4. Faults in the System

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Announcing their engagement to her family wasn't going to be easy but Connor has trouble adapting to their dynamic. Lots of mental anguish but there is comfort at the end.

He stayed behind her as she walked up to the door of her family’s house but then she turned back to him. 

“Alright, this is it. You ready?” 

He nodded. 

“You have dad’s birthday gift?” She asked. He held up the shiny bag in his grasp. “Okay. Well, um. Remember we’ll tell them the news after dinner so until then just act like nothing has changed.” Her gloved hands fidgeted. “OH! And don’t hesitate to ask me about social norm stuff. I’ll try and keep them from drilling you so don’t let anything they say get to you because my parents react poorly to dramatic changes so-” 

“Darling, I’m sure everything will turn out well. They love you. They should at least respect your wishes.” 

“Yeah, in theory... they’re never malicious but they can be a bit much sometimes.” She shook her head side to side then faced the door. 

**_Knock knock_ **

She rushed back to his side as if her close proximity would aid his appeal. He knew what this weekend meant for her and her family so he had only one objective. 

**Gain her family’s favor.**

The door opened revealing an older woman wearing a knitted sweater. He had met her before and recalled what he had gathered from their previous conversations along with the prep talk his fiancee gave him on the three hour car ride over.

 **Katherine Williams, Mom,** prefers the name  **“Kat”**.  **Age:**  56.  **Topics she likes:**  Animals, baking, and hockey.  **Topics I should never initiate with her:** Her sister, religion or politics.

“Sweetie! Welcome home!” Kat opened her arms and her daughter instantly dove in for a hug. She lifted her head to greet him still holding her in her arms. “Connor. Its nice to see you again. Come in, please.” She chuckled as she dragged her daughter inside. “Did you have a pleasant drive?” 

“Yes, the weather was calm the whole way.” He stepped inside and shut the door. She extended her hand for his coat. 

“That’s good. We just got hit by a storm yesterday so there should be plenty of snow for sledding tomorrow.” She placed their coats in the closet and guided them over into the living room where her father was watching a hockey game. He stood up once he heard their footsteps. Without saying much he walked into a hug with his daughter. Much less excitement than her mother. 

 **Vincent Williams, Dad** , prefers the name “ **Mr. Williams”**. **Age:** 57. **Topics he likes:**  Cooking, hunting, fishing, and machinery.  **Topics I should never initiate with him:**  ‘Cleanliness’, religion or politics.  **Personal Note** : Has minor skepticism against android’s validity. 

“Hey, dad.” 

“Hey, sprout.” He smiled behind his mustache and beard. He nodded over towards his direction. “How’s it going, Connor?” He walked over to shake his hand. 

“Well, Mr. Williams.” His pressure sensors noted his harsh squeeze. He brushed it off as a sign of assertiveness. Connor watched Mr. William’s eyes drift towards the stairs then he shouted out.

“Jamie!” The sound caused the creaking of footsteps to move above them. A young man with tattoos peaking out of his sleeve stepped down the stairs. 

“What’s up? Oh! Hey sis.” He glanced at Connor for a brief moment and continued on to hug his sister.

 **Jamie Williams** , **'** **Bro'** , prefers “ **Jamie** ”.  **Age:**  30.  **Topics he likes:**  Horror, technology, and out of date cartoon action figurines.  **Topics I should never initiate with him:**  Intense feelings or “TMI” territory, religion or politics. In fact, she mentioned to never talk about religion or politics at all. It never ended well according to her.

Her interest perked up. “It’s been so long! How’s Ally been?”

“She’s good. Nothing really’s different since last time you visited.” 

“You mean besides all the dumb expensive stuff you buy for Halloween?” 

“Hey! That stuff goes on sale after Halloween. Plus anyway, I ask her if its over fifty bucks.” 

She shook her head smiling at him. “Such a patient woman. I don’t know how she deals with you.” 

“I imagine its very similar to how he puts up with you.” Jamie’s thumb pointed to Connor before he gave her a playful nudge on the arm. 

“Ass.” She nudged back.

The family watched this dispute and said nothing to mediate it. Connor decided to calm the tension. “She is worth any trouble.” Jamie made a fake sour expression. 

“Gross, he cares about you.” He laughed at her. Again teasing her. 

“I care about you too, sugar bear.” She said and made kissing noises immediately disgusting him. That’s a new term of endearment he could live without. The parent’s faces turned to cringe after hearing that remark. Jamie finally faced Connor as he walked up. 

“So, how goes the 10100 today?” He slapped his arm.

Connor tilted his head. “That’s... not a real word or even a letter in binary. I don’t understand what your asking.” 

“Jamie, how old are you? Come on, really.” His fiancee smacked his shoulder. He forgot about the high frequency of violence that occurred between them. Fortunately, Kat interrupted them. 

“Kids! Let’s get ready for dinner. Go sit in the living room. It’ll be ready in ten minutes.” Her husband swung an arm around Jamie leading him out of the hallway. 

“Hey mom, we got dad something.” Connor jumped up in attention and presented their gift. 

“Aw, that’s sweet of you guys. You didn’t have to.” They very much did. Birthday parties required presents if they wanted to keep social commitments flowing smoothly. “Set it over on the end table in the usual spot. Thanks.” She grabbed the bag from him and walked out of the room leaving him alone with her mother. He rubbed his hands together. 

“Would you like some help cooking?” 

“Oh, you don’t have to.” Her mother was always polite but she tended to take on too many tasks alone. 

“I don’t mind. Please allow me to assist you.” 

“Okay then.” He followed her into the kitchen when his senses detected the heavy scent of cinnamon. She handed him a ladle. 

“Would you mind stirring the soup?” 

He put on his best smile. “I’d be happy to.” She smiled back. A good response he mentally noted. He stirred as she set the table. Each time she entered the room, he felt the need to make some sort of small talk to utilize this time and build a familiarity. 

“How did you and Mr. Williams meet?” She paused in gathering the silverware. 

“We met through friends. I didn’t like him at first. He was a bit of a trouble maker in high school so I was never interested in meeting him but I agreed to a double date so...” She shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t think I would’ve kept dating him if I wasn’t so spiteful towards my parents.” Connor was expecting some sort of happy coincidence or a purposeful interest. Not everyone loves in the same way it seemed. He kept silent and focused on the soup.

“You see, my sister told my parents about his reputation so they tried pushing me away from him but that only ended up with me rebelling against my parents.” 

 **Sister. Abort topic.**  

 **Stress level is at 15%.**  

How could he have known that question would lead into that territory? In an attempt to divert the subject, he pretended to be interested in her cooking. 

“Something smells nice in here. Are you baking something?” She paused for a moment like she was sensing something then he caught her staring at his LED. It must’ve flashed yellow while he was thinking. She blinked back to her own thoughts.

“Yeah. Actually let me check the oven real quick.” He stepped aside and she pulled out a baking sheet of cookies. She set them aside to cool off and then turned to him. “I think I have everything under control here. Why don’t you go relax. I’ll let you know if I need any help.” She smiled at him but he could sense her uneasiness around him. He mentally noted that he would have to correct this poor exchange in the future.

“Sure.” He nodded and then left to the living room. Perhaps he could win over the others. The sounds of laughter invited him into the next conversation. His fiancee turned around and showed him a misshaped toy that had seen some wear and tear. 

“Connor! Look what Jamie found in the attic! It’s one of my favorite stuffed animals!” She squeezed it rather roughly before she placed it into his hands. He rotated it around a full 360 degrees. It was a robotic toy. Synthetic fur. LED eyes. DC motor for its movable parts. Speakers. Even a main board for adapting its memory suggesting virtual intelligence.

“Hmm... what is it’s main function?” He handed the toy back. 

“Mr. Fluffy did a bunch of stuff. It talked, ate, slept, it also repeated anything it heard.” She counted her fingers recalling each feature until her brother stepped in.

“It would wake you up in the middle of the night saying ‘I’m huuungry.’ Hated that creepy thing.” 

“It only did that once. It’s still cute see?” Connor squinted at it. 

“I... can’t tell.” 

“Well, its got these big round eyes and fluffy fur.” She tried to persuade him.

“It’s proportions are skewed. Its eyeballs would never fit inside its own skull if it were alive.” Connor heard the faint disgusted noises from both of them. Their combined stare looked at him like he was deeply disturbed. Perhaps he should have omitted that bit.

 **Stress level is at 20%.**  

“You know what, never mind.” She set it back down on the shelf. Jamie tapped his arm to call his attention. 

“She used to be obsessed with this thing. She would feed it, hug it, hell, she even slept with it in her bed. Good thing she outgrew it otherwise you might have had some competition.” He laughed but Connor didn’t find it humorous. Did he just compare him to a domestically-aimed machine toy? His jokes were often at the expense of others but he didn’t think he would be this irritated by it. 

 **Stress level is at 28%.**  

Jamie was about to say something but he too was distracted by his LED. “Could you stop picking on Connor, Jamie? He didn’t come here to be the butt of your lame jokes.” Connor released a sigh. At least she was on his side. 

“I didn’t mean anything by it, buddy. I’m just messing around.” He patted him on the same arm. He also didn’t enjoy any physical contact with him so with a nod he excused himself to the other side of the room and sat down next to her father who was watching the last quarter of the hockey game. For a while, he waited in silence observing their progress. He was definitely not going to say anything to him so he tried squeezing in a tiny conversation.

“The Toronto Maple Leafs signed Gerald Hoss for a seven year pact. He may be the most prized free agent in NHL history.” He glanced over to see if Mr. Williams was at all interested but he said nothing. Still focused on the TV. “He started the season with 10 points in his first five games.”

Mr. Williams hummed. He gave him just the bare minimum of acknowledgement. Perhaps this wasn’t the best time after all. He was making an effort but nothing was working and if he pushed more, it would only have the reversed effect. He sat back with his arms crossed. Silence it was then.

**Stress level is at 36%.**

Connor saw out of the corner of his eye her mother lifting up their suitcases. She called over her daughter for assistance with his case which had some of his mechanical equipment to negate the harsh weather while they were here. It’s heaviness proved to be too much for them so he walked over and picked it up. 

“I can carry my belongings. Where should I place this?” 

“Follow me. I’ll show you to your rooms.” She helped carry the multiple bags they brought and went up the stairs. She set the pink bag on the floor next to a door. 

“You can stay in your old room. And for you, Connor...” She took a couple steps down the end of the hall. “You can stay in the spare room. We set up a bed but I’m afraid its a bit cramped. It’s usually just a reading room but its free from most of the noise that goes on in the house.” 

“Oh, there is no need to give me my own bed. We-” Connor was interrupted by his fiancee.

“-We are just so grateful that you thought ahead. He has trouble with noise.” Her head shook side to side when her mother looked away. 

**Stress level is at 41%.**

“Uh, yes. I manage my internal data at night so my cognitive functions are unburdened during the day. The quiet will help me focus. Thank you.” He plopped his suitcase onto the bed to set up later. 

Kat clasped her hands. “Well, dinner is pretty much ready. Let’s get the gang.” Together they went downstairs and sat around the table. It was decorated with cloth napkins and served with dainty ceramics. Even his seat had the full set. As usual, his fiancee took the chair next to him.

“Oh mom, you don’t need to set a plate for him.” She said. He didn’t want to make it awkward. It was a nice gesture even if he wouldn’t be using it. 

“Oh, Connor, you should’ve told me. I would have cleared off your side.” 

“No, it’s fine. Your dishes are quite pretty.” He mimicked everyone by placing the napkin on his lap. He knew people didn’t like being watched while eating so he straightened his fork and spoon to be perfectly parallel. The soup must have been delicious because they barely said a peep.

“Sweetie, you should taste test this tea. It’s really nice.”  

Her mother was excited by this detail. “I didn’t know you could drink. Here, let me pour some for you.” Before he could explain, she handed him a cup. He only wanted a few drops but now he had a full serving. What was he even going to do with this?

**Stress level is at 46%.**

“Uh, thank you. I’m not able to drink but I can still umm... enjoy its contents.” They were watching him, curious to see what an android’s preference was. He poked his tongue into the warm liquid.

**Black Tea, Lavender, Vanilla, Dark Chocolate**

“Hmmm. There’s a variety of flavors. So it would taste...” He looked to his side for her assistance.

“Floral and sweet with just a hint of bitterness.” She smiled at him. 

“Ah. I see.” 

“What do you think, Connor? Do you like it?” Mr. Williams asked. He couldn’t actually form an opinion on flavors. He could only give them attributes. Chocolate, oil, ice cream, even blood they all tasted the same to him but how could he translate such a sensation to them?

**Stress level is at 49%.**

“I don’t taste in the same way you do but I think I like it.” He set the cup down. It was a shame it would be wasted on him but it was pleasantly warming his fingers at least. 

Mr. Williams made a neutral hum and finished his potato soup. After they cleaned their bowls, they decided to open presents. Most of them were gift cards except for theirs. Well, technically his side anyway. He reached into the tissue paper and pulled out a box. His expression changed once he opened it. Confusion perhaps? 

“Is this a watch?” He flipped it around.

“Not only is it a watch but it is also a monitor with many features. It can read your heart rate, sleep patterns, track nutrition, and even notifies you when you should be drinking water. It will help you maximize your health.” 

“We match, dad.” She laughed and raised her wrist jingling it around. It was highly useful. It was beyond him how humans knew when to take care of their delicately balanced systems and how much was enough or excessive. This would leave no room for error.

“Is this because I put on some weight?” The family all laughed at his dejected demeanor. Connor wanted to say something that would offer reassurance but everyone was too boisterous for him to focus. 

**Stress level is at 51%.**

“Keep going. There’s more.” She told him. He found her personal gift at the bottom. Another gift card to the same place. They must have all collaborated together or he _really_ loved shopping there. 

“Thanks for the presents, everyone.” He said then took another drink. They all had a cozy chat together recalling their fond memories from many years ago until it simmered down into comfortable silence. 

She was thinking about it. He could tell by how intensely her eyes stared at the table and the frequency of sighs. She reached out to his hand and held it tight. He wanted to calm her racing pulse but his nerves were on edge along with hers. Her parents noticed the act and their stare lasted for four seconds. Much too long. A signal. It felt similar to when they held hands in public and received glares like it was a repulsive act. He began to think this wasn’t appropriate here too. 

**Stress level is at 59%.**

“Since we’re all here, there is something we have been wanting to tell you all.”

The silence hung in the air after the pause followed by their turning faces in contemplation.  He squeezed her hand back. ‘We are in this together.’ he wanted to tell her.

“We are happy to announce we are engaged!” Her enthusiasm fell flat against their stoic faces. Her mother was the first to speak.

“Are you... serious, dear?” She acted like she misheard. That she couldn’t have possibly meant  _him_ and  _marriage._

“I thought that wasn’t legal.” Mr. Williams added. Was he keeping tabs on this possibly? Thinking it couldn’t happen even if they wanted to. Was this how they would respond to their own daughter’s happiness? His foot started to tap the wooden floor. 

“That changed last week.” He butted in. It was one of best days of their lives.

She had been mentally preparing herself for this all week. The least they could do is be supportive for her. That she found someone she loved so much that she wanted to spent the rest of her life with him. He kept having this nagging thought clawing at his brain.

 _This would be a joyous occasion if he was human._  

It was always about what he was. Hank was ecstatic when he told him. Why were they so different?

“Congratulations.” Jamie finally said what they wanted to hear. 

“Thank you.” She sounded disheartened. 

“Don’t you think you’re... rushing things a bit?” Mr. Williams leaned onto the table. “You’ve been together only for a year, right? Maybe you should wait a bit. You two are vastly different people. It might be-”

 **Stress level is at 72%.** He couldn’t take listening to a man who knew nothing about their relationship anymore. He stood up with enough force to knock the chair back.  

“We had been talking about this for months but we only wanted to tell you now because it was possible. I didn’t see the reason for coming here to explain ourselves. I only came here because she wanted me to feel like a part of this family!” He felt betrayed when he looked over to her and she was just as stunned. Why wasn’t she upset too? She should be even more furious. He bit his lip.

“I wanted to give this a chance but if this is how we are going to be treated then there’s no point.” He wanted them to feel how isolated he felt. How hard this was for him but instead everyone was watching his LED flash as if they were trying to bypass his emotions and read his programming. It felt so invasive that he covered it with his hand. “Excuse me.” 

He stomped to the bathroom and locked the door. Hunching over, he gripped the sink’s rim. Something that could take the abuse. He saw his reflection and his light flashed red. Fuck his LED. He would’ve had a better chance of acclimatizing with them if it was removed. Perhaps they would’ve even forgot his origins. That he was just a person like them. Without thinking, he turned the sink on full blast and just stared at it. 

He didn’t bother responding when someone tapped on the door. 

“Sweetheart.” 

His face scrunched tighter together as he closed his eyes. The soft clink of the lock barred her efforts to enter. 

“I’m not ready to talk yet.” Everything was weighing on him. He was bound to say something even more regrettable. He didn’t want it to be her he lashed out on.

“Okay, I’ll leave you be. When you’re ready, come back to the table. I’ll wait for you.” He sighed and looked at the mirror. Still red. Easy breaths she would’ve reminded him. Slow easy breaths.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

The walk back was one of the most mentally exhausting tasks he had to endure. Luckily, everyone at the table was in a better mood. He didn’t bother looking at anyone as he sat in his chair and stared at the tea still in his cup. It had turned cold in his absence. Why was he even here? He didn’t belong here. All of them were perfectly content without his participation. 

He almost jumped in his chair when her hand sneaked under the table and stroked his thigh. The repetitive touch was comforting but also reminded him of everyone’s focus on him. He shouldn’t be enjoying this right now. This was his time to collect himself and try to amend whatever was left. He slid the additional pleasure switch in his lower back off and her distracting caresses faded into the background of his mind.

His body felt like it was wrapped in a plastic coating. Never truly able to sense. This was how he used to live before his upgrade. It wasn’t horrible just dull. Back then, she was the reason he felt anything at all but now... he missed being alone. 

He sat idly by as the group continued on with their conversations. More of their fond memories before he was even born. Nothing he could really relate to. 

 **Stress level is at 55%.** The reminder didn’t help either. He became almost comatose to everything around him. The only part of him that was alive was the internal debate going back and forth. He felt justified. He shouldn’t have to apologize. Admit they were right and all the progress they made wasn’t enough to last. He knew in the core of his being that he loves her. 

He loves her. No matter what happens. 

“Connor.” His head lifted an inch. He met Mr. Williams inspection. “Join me for a moment.” He stood up and left the room. 

Another march of dread. He barely sensed her hand squeezing his before he went to be trapped into another unwinnable situation. Her father was crouched in front of the living room fireplace adding more wood to the fire. Connor held a respectable distance between them. 

“What are your intentions with my daughter?” Straight to the point then. 

“Intentions, Sir?” Mr. Williams lifted off his knees and faced him.

“I barely know you, Connor, much less your plans for the future. Usually, a potential son-in-law would discuss marriage with the parents before acting upon it.” 

“I didn’t have time to prepare. It was done in the spur of the moment.” Upon hearing that, his lips responded by shifting to one side. His honesty was not helping. “But that doesn’t cheapen its purity.” His eyes tightened a fraction. “She is more than capable of deciding what she wants and she wants this just as much as me.” 

His accumulation of anger grew with each step Mr. Williams took. “And you understand what you want? What that entails? Time isn’t kind to us. We grow old. Dysfunctional. And you would suffer by her side even when her body can’t keep up with yours? Will you still care for her then?” 

He thought about that frequently before but he would tell him what he told himself. “Just because her life is finite doesn’t subtract her value. She is the only person I want to be with. Whatever happens later in life, I will deal with it.” Death was inescapable for him too. Why act like it would never happen to either of them?

“Value of life? How could you know? You were born less than two years ago.” This time Connor leaned into his personal space.

“I know enough. In my short life, I have seen both the best and worst of humanity. I’ve talked to cold blooded murderers and empowering leaders. There is no measure in life but I am fully aware of this world and I know when to hold onto what’s important in my life.” He wanted to throw something anywhere to break away from this tension. “Why are you so against us?”  

**Warning! Stress level is at 86%.**

“I understand my daughter well enough to know she jumps into decisions based on emotions and pleasing people. I just want her to take some time and think it through.” He disapproved of the very core of her being. Her emotions are the driving force in her life. Her sensitivity is what he loves about her. She was more in tune with her feelings than he was with his own. How could a man who had spent months away could possibly understand her more than him? 

He finally said what he knew was coming. “Until I speak with her, I can’t agree to this marriage.” 

**Warning! Stress level is at 91%.**

He was getting no where with him and it made his blood boil. “Then talk to your own daughter! If you did, you would’ve known how important I am in her life!” Connor noticed how dangerously close Mr. Williams was. The probability of a physical altercation was climbing higher. 

“I only hear about a dolled up version of a man who never does anything wrong. Why would an android of your influence want to settle down with her?” 

Fuck this full circle of hell. 

“Both of you, stop it!” His body jolted at the sound and they both locked eyes at the voice’s owner. Neither of them heard her walk into the room. Her nonthreatening body wedged them apart while equally throwing hard stares at them.

This was his chance to escape with the little restraint he had left but he opened his mouth to say one last bitter comment.

“You will never understand her as much as I do.”  He snapped to the opposite direction and left to the guest room. 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Several hours had past when he heard a knock at his door.

**Warning! Stress level is at 94%.**

He gripped the bed’s blanket that were so kindly prepared for him. Just more fake pleasantries. He shook his head winding back his misguided anger. Kat did nothing wrong. Why was he mad at her? She was the nicest one to him.

“Connor? Sweetheart, we’re all going to bed. Would you like to...” Her voice faded off. 

“No.” 

“Alright, well, it should be safe to come out. No ones going to be staying up much longer if you want to stretch your legs or I dunno... talk?” 

His fingers squeezed the blanket into a ball and buried his face into the fur. Her footsteps were quiet but then slowly trailed away until it was gone. He breathed in and out. In. Out.

**Warning! Stress level is at 94%.**

It wasn’t decreasing. He was stuck in a loop replaying everything that went wrong today. Was there truly no way of turning this around? 

At this rate, he would be forced to restart his body or wipe his thoughts entirely and he wasn’t doing the latter. Even after the sun had set and the nighttime sky shrouded the room into darkness, he remained motionless on the bed. He couldn’t be bothered to turn on a light. The only sensations remaining were the sounds of his breath and the whirling fan trying to cool both his body and mind. 

It was pure torture. 

 

**_Tap Tap..._ **

It was faint but he could still hear it. He slid off the bed to move towards the sound.

**_Tap tap..._ **

His hand smoothed over the door knob and with one more breath, he incrementally inched it wider and wider. His red LED lit up her worried face. She sneaked over here at such a late hour but he definitely could not handle another conversation.

“I don’t want to talk. I’m... too unstable.” She noticed his LED. Her hands flew up and cradled his head. He leaned into her touch. 

**Warning! Stress level is at 93%.**

“Sweetheart. I’m so sorry. This whole day has been a shit show.” 

“A what?” 

She smiled at him and pulled the door closed behind them. He slumped onto the bed. What could he say? He fucked it all up but worse he didn’t regret what he said either. He tried multiple times to say something but eventually the silence led to her to holding him into a tight hug. The warmth from her body reminded him of home. Their home. 

**Warning! Stress level is at 90%.**

She whispered to him. “What happened?” Her fingers combed through his hair trying to calm him down and it was working until he started talking. 

“Nothing I say can convince him I’m just as worthy of marrying you. He twists my words and holds me to impossible standards. I can see why you grew up so anxious around people. I feel like  _I’m_ developing a complex.” She chuckled then shook her head at him.

“Dad is like that sometimes. I’ve been trying my whole life to impress him but I don’t think it’s possible anymore.” 

“I shouldn’t have to defend myself and neither should you. I’m sick and tired of always having to fight for myself! I am alive! I feel just as deeply as any human! Why are my emotions any less valid than yours? I’m not running a simulation! This is me!” He placed his hands on his chest. His breath was heavy with urgency.

He tried. He really did. “Everything is so much harder now and people mock my suffering. I can’t take this anymore!” His eyes pinched out the tears he didn’t know were being held back. He didn’t want her to see him like this. Turbulent and incompetent. The touch of her soothing hands gathered his broken mind and surrounded him in her loving arms and sweet words. 

**Stress level is at 85%.**

She held him so close to her heart that the vibrations echoed back to him. Parallel to his pain. He cried into her shoulder and gripped her clothes tight. “I ruined our chances. I.. I wasn’t good enough.”

“Don’t you ever say that.” She eased him out to watch his expression. “I promise you. You are more than enough.”

He cried even harder while his breath hitched from the congestion building up. Her eyes wandered to his lips as she inched closer. “You’re more than enough.” At the last second, he couldn’t and turned his head. Nothing was fixed. He was just as hopeless as he was before. Her lips pressed into his cheek instead. He thought he would feel something but no, he barely cared. 

“Sorry, I thought that would cheer you up at least a little.” She guided his face back to meet hers. “Sweetheart...” Her eyes were so pretty but it was a shame it only reflected his red light. When her eyes darted over to it, he snapped. Not her too!

**Warning! Stress level is at 95%.**

He covered it. In a swift movement, he grabbed the closet object, a flat screwdriver, and went to remove the only visible stigma from his temple. Her hand immediately tried to stop him but she could only slow him down.

“If this is all that stands in the way of people accepting me, then it is a small price to pay.” She switched to two hands but he was still stronger.

“Honey! No, don’t do that! You are who you are. This won’t change anything!” He blinked his watery vision clear to see the anguish she was going through. 

“Why are you telling me to stick out when you always want to blend in?”

She talked to him like she was reading his own instructions. “Hold onto your convictions. Don’t let the world tell you your worth. All those virtues, I learned that from you.” He faltered a bit. She sat closer to him and her voice hit him hard. “I love you as you are right now. Don’t take my Connor away.” Her hands dragged his to the bed.

He sat in defeat.

“I love you.” Her words were what he needed to hear. 

**Stress level is at 85%.**

“I love you, too.” His smile was halfway to real. The soft caresses of her fingers returned to his cheeks and around to the back of his head. She brought him near her again and he decided to remain still. The warmth of her lips pressed a delicate 9 into him but he didn’t react. She tried again with more determination. 15. He sensed it but again nothing. Her brows compressed in emotional hurt as she gave up and he cried even harder. He felt nothing. Absolutely nothing. 

“I don’t know if...” She listened. Waiting for him to explain. “... I’m ready to feel pleasure again. I’ve been so stressed by every insignificant thing. It helped to switch it off... for a while.” 

“Connor, don’t you see you’re falling into despair? You’ve been blocking your own happiness with guilt but you don’t have to feel this way anymore. I promise we will get through this.” Her dainty hands tried encasing his whole hand. Giving up, she weaved between each finger folding them together. “Please... turn it back on.” The inflection in her voice motivated him to at least touch the switch. 

“I can’t...” He can’t withstand more vulnerability. In some sick way, he preferred being miserable. Lingering in the past. She wrapped her arms around him again and he rested his head in the crook of her neck. “I just want to go home.” The motion of her fingers gliding through his hair helped his frayed mind come back together.

“In the morning, I’ll tell them we’re leaving but until then try to relax, okay?” Her hand trailed down his neck and she kissed his LED causing him to transform into his natural self. A reminder that it was a precious part of him. She pulled away. “I have an idea. Wait here.” Her darkened silhouette disappeared out of the doorway but she returned 29 seconds later. A bright light from a screen burned his eyes as she closed the door. Curling right up into his chest, she tapped the screen and showed him the title.

“Ah, this movie.” He leaned back onto the pillow bringing her along. 

**Stress level is at 78%.**

“You like this one a lot, right?” She asked him. Another of Hank’s hypothetical movies about machine life that threatens humanity but somehow is presented as “cheesy” and “fun”. It had many fallacies and continuity errors but he found amusement in what people thought future sentience would be like. 

“It is entertaining. I prefer the sequel. Kind of adds more to his character outside of being a murder machine.” When she smiled at him, he noticed his light had finally shifted to yellow. She pressed the play button and snuggled under his arm.

He had memorized every line with every intonation but he loved watching her imitate a burly gruff man then immediately recoil at the gore with disgust. Their favorite line was coming up and her eyes locked onto his. 

“Hasta la vista, baby.” They said in unison. She giggled at him then continued watching the climax. He brought the back of his index finger up to brush her cheek drawing her attention. His heart ached at how much he missed this. The darkness around the edges of the bed could’ve fooled him into thinking they were already home. 

Just the two of them. 

**Stress level is at 32%.**

The rolling credits was the cutoff point for her. The late hours were catching up to her drowsy brain but she was trying. She rolled over to face him and snaked her hands around his chest. The sensors flared up for that one but faded away once it travel lower down his back. 

He hid his face from her once she found the switch. Her delicate fingers circled around it. Careful not to force him into another surge of anxiety. Perhaps it was time to let go. 

“Okay.” He complied to her care. He peeked over as he heard the soft click. There were only a few milliseconds before he became hyper aware of all the sensations demanding his attention. Even his own breathing felt too forceful. 

**Stress level is at 40%.**

Calm down. He repeated to himself. The brush of her hand returning to his chest burned along the skin every centimeter she touched. 

“You’re okay.” She whispered and rested on top of him like a warm blanket. He could feel the chambers of her heart beating its cadence. A metronome for him to focus onto. He wrapped his arms around her never wanting this fleeting moment to slip away. To pretend this was just another day. That she didn’t see what a horrible shamble he had become. His internal systems eased into a comfortable pace. 

**Stress level is at 22%.**

The cool glow of blue shined her loving expression. Her hands supported his head and her thumbs rubbed his cheek bones back and forth like he was worth such tenderness. As if he were made of the same flesh as her. Her eyes lingered on his lips. He could already feel the delicious buzzing that would come. He smiled as she lowered steadily down and held the back of his head into the kiss. 

He wanted this feeling. 8. The minuscule details that passed him the first time were pronounced now. The details that would have told him how much she adored him. He replied back stronger. 15. Her hum drowned his ears in delight then sucked on his bottom lip. 19. They were making up for lost time. His teeth teased her upper lip. 24. His hands had trouble holding her still as her hair curtained around his head and onto the pillow. 29. She panted while switching sides. He loved working her up to the point where she couldn’t physically handle him anymore.

She reeled back with a gasp and held him down with her hand. Her lips were puffy from all the sucking and nibbling. He released a deep sigh of relief and let his head drop onto the pillow. 

His stress meter faded out of sight and he could fully enjoy the view of her breathy giggles. They chuckled at each other until it died down into silent appreciation. She yawned then her eyes lingered outward then back to him. 

“I should go back to my room. I’m getting pretty tired.” She shifted to move off of his lap but his hands firmly planted onto her hips. 

“Please stay. You are my only solace.” 

“They’re gonna be pissed if I...” 

He gave her what she referred to as “puppy dog eyes” and her resolve crumbled. 

“Ah, fuck it.” She nestled into his arms as she pulled up another movie to watch. He pushed it aside. 

“You should sleep. There isn’t going to be enough time for a restful night so you-.” 

“I’m not going to sleep until you do.” Oh. He paused. He never fell asleep before her. He just preferred knowing she was settled before he transitioned into his sleep mode. She laid her head down on his shoulder and looked up to him. “Go ahead, sweetheart. And when you wake up, I’ll be right here.” He kissed her forehead then lowered his head into the pillow. She rested one of her hands on his chest and he held on to it.

“Goodnight, my love.” As he shut his eyelids, the last image he saw was her.

“Goodnight.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya, I'm thinking about posting the next part of this bit on Wednesday as a separate chapter to have some closure for poor Connor. As usual, thanks for reading!


	5. Belonging

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The following day and the resolution.

 

The morning glow welcomed him back as he opened his eyes from a long night of much needed peace. Hair had been flopped all over his face from her tossing and turning. After he brushed it aside, he dug out where her face should be to discover she was just as adorable as ever. Her limbs sprawled around him like a pillow while her face mushed into his chest. 

He tucked the fly away strands of hair behind her ear. The subtle shift in her brows reacted to the stimulus. She was going to be dead exhausted from staying up with him. Sounds of the floor creaking from the other members of the household alerted him of the time. If only he could give her a few more hours to sleep and a few more for him to bask in the stillness. 

He couldn’t hide forever though. Eventually, he would have to apologize for his hostility and hope for a second chance. His fingers continued combing her hair. Each stroke eased her into consciousness a bit more. Her eyelashes parted and blinked a few times then her eyes trailed up his body to meet his greeting smile.

“Good morning.” He spoke low enough for her ears to adjust. Her lips transformed into a familiar smile.

“Good morning.” Her fingers smoothed over his chest enjoying the feel of the fabric then there was a distant clang of kitchenware below them. They both must have had the same thought when they simultaneously sighed. 

“I’ll go talk to them. See if we can skate out early.” The warm spot along his body already felt cold as she got up.

“Wait. I’ve... changed my mind. I want to see this through.” She turned to face him and he chuckled. Her head tilted at his reaction but she couldn’t see the bizarre lines imprinted on her cheek from sleeping on him for hours on end.

“Look in the mirror.” He suggested. She raised an eyebrow at him but did as he suggested. 

“Oh. Pfft. Geez.” She rubbed her face trying to smooth out the surface. “Well, I’m going to get changed then head downstairs. I’ll see you down there, okay?” She waited at the door frame for his response. 

“Okay.” 

 

After getting dressed into his long sleeve shirt and jeans, he descended the stairs. 

“Good morning, Connor.” Kat said. She didn’t seem upset with him but it could’ve been her just ignoring his outburst.

“Good morning.” She was in the middle of making pancakes when she walked up to him. 

“I’m sorry about how we reacted yesterday because we’re usually better than this. I never wanted you to feel like a stranger here. If there’s anything I can do that would help you feel more comfortable, please don’t hesitate to tell me.” 

“Thank you. That means a lot to me.” His shoulders relaxed and he felt a little bit lighter now. His fiancee walked up with a bag of chocolate chips. 

“Is this one mine?” She pointed to the pan.

“It could be.” 

“It is now. BAM!” She splattered bits of chocolate into the batter and her mother chuckled.

“It is now.” She finished up cooking and started placing the food. She turned to him. “You’re always welcome to join us if you want.” 

“I will. Thank you.” He helped her carry over the syrup and other types of toppings over to the table. The whole group had joined once the smell saturated the air and they had a silent breakfast. Not because of the awkwardness but from still waking up. Well, until he made eye contact with Mr.Williams but he returned to eating.

“Would you like to try some tea, Connor?” Kat asked. 

“Just a sample would be nice. Thank you.” She slid over a tea cup that had just enough for him to sample. The warm liquid hit his tongue. 

**Earl Grey, Almond, Vanilla.**

The two women looked over at him for his verdict. 

“It tastes... savory and... sweet?” He looked over to his lover.

“That’s right, sweetheart.” He blushed when she said it out loud as if they were the only two here. Kat smiled as the other two paused for a moment letting it settle in. He was important to her and they couldn’t deny that fact. 

Today’s agenda was sledding and granted by the weather, it met all the requirements. They were climbing into the car when Jaime stopped him. 

“Smallest goes in the middle.” Her face immediately scowled at him. 

“I always get the hump. Why don’t you sit there for once?” 

“You’re always the smallest. Get taller.” He snickered. 

“It’s not a problem. I can sit there.”  Connor chimed in. Jaime swung an arm around his shoulder turning him around and pulling him into a secretive huddle. 

“Connor, you got her on lock down, dude. You can sass her all you want now. You have my blessing, okay?”

“I don’t understand why I would do that.”  

“I’m not saying ‘make her life miserable’ just... next time she asks you to do a trivial task, tell her ‘no’. You know you can say ‘no’ right?” He patted his back.

“I’ve denied her requests before but why is this one so special?” 

“For fun. Watch this.” He let go of him to walk over to his wary eyed sister. 

“What did you tell him?” Her arms crossed. 

“Oh nothing. I was- Oh! Oh no! I feel faint all of a sudden!” He placed the back of his hand of his forehead. 

“No! I’m holding stuff!” He stiffened his posture and toppled over on top of her which caused all the bags of clothes spilling out onto the snow. She grunted as she tried to hold up her brother's weight from crushing her. 

He laughed as he stood back up and winked at Connor. “You wouldn’t force your weary brother in the middle, would you?” 

“Yes, I would, you dope!” She shoved him into the car seat while they wildly laughed and slapped at each other. And yet somehow she still ended up crammed between two broad men. 

Her face was tight in a bitter sneer the whole trip over to the park. It was bustling with families trailing up the hill with different methods of gliding on snow. They got out of the car and started carrying their sleds when she ran up to him.

“Wait a second!” She leaned on her toes to stretch the wool cap onto his head. “There. Now you’re all set.” Her gloved hands patted his cold cheeks into a smile. He wrapped her scarf around her neck one more time so it was snug.

“You too.” He stared a little bit longer at her smile and rosy cheeks. “Be careful of the temperature, dear. I don’t feel it as acutely as you.” 

“You worry too much.” She booped his nose and flung the sled over her back.

 He didn’t understand the adrenaline rush humans got from physical thrills. He slid down the hill multiple times and just admired the view on the way down but she however would scream her head off. Was it a reminder that she survived a potential threat? That the high velocity they were never in control of could’ve harm them? He could only theorize as he watched each time she and her family came back with wide smiles willing to undergo the trauma all over again.

“Double up with me, sis.” 

“Oh, I don’t know. Is your fat ass gonna take up all the sled?” 

“Well, fine. You get in first.” He held the sled steady while she stepped in then he jogged a fair distance away. 

“What are you doing?” She yelled at him. Then he sprinted. Her face changed into horror the minute it clicked. She tried to wiggle out but Jamie lunged into the sled propelling both of them down the hill. After a few seconds of them screaming, the sled flipped and flung their bodies into the snow. She recovered first then retaliated by slap fighting each other.

“You see, this is why we can’t have nice things in our house.” Mr. Williams at some point had sneaked up beside him. 

“They are rather... unpredictable.” Connor replied. 

“Yeah.” Her father chuckled. “They’re grown adults but... they’re still my little kids.” Connor wasn’t expecting anything from him. He recalled her telling him how he never apologizes and prefers to just ignore it but this tension between them needed to be sorted out.

“Sir, about yesterday-”

“Don’t apologize. I understand.” He placed his hand on his shoulder. It didn’t have the same intensity as it did before. It was kinder. “You were right. I should’ve been more involved in her life.” He paused for a moment watching their slap fight come to an end. “She never brought home any boyfriends. I was beginning to believe she wasn’t interested in dating at all. Each date she would go on ended the same way. In disappointment.” Connor met his eyes that were full of lingering sadness. 

“But when I look at you two together, she’s never been happier. Her calls home were always chipper when you were in the background. I don’t hate you, Connor. I’m just a dad worrying about my children.” He sighed. “Life is hard and one day my wife and I won’t be here to help them. She’ll have to depend on you.” The pace of his breathing tipped into sluggish. His gaze remained on them even through the windy snowflakes. 

“Mr. Williams, you know I will always be there for her and your family if you ever need it.” Connor watched as the words sank in. He nodded back. 

“Thank you. Just hearing you say that puts my mind at ease a little.” He settled still watching them climb up the hill together. His head shook then returned to him. “Oh and um, you don’t have to call me Mr. Williams. Vincent is fine.” They stood side by side admiring the view from on top of the hill. The only sounds were of the other people enjoying themselves. A smile crept into Vincent’s somber expression when he glanced at daughter. 

“Did she ever fix the dishwasher?” 

Connor chuckled. “No, but I did.” They shared their silent amusement when she crawled back up the hill. 

“What’s so funny?” She asked hiking up the hill with Jamie dragging the sled behind them. Her father beat him to the reply.

“We’re just laughing at you two, sprout.” She rolled her eyes but then took notice of Connors wind stung face. 

“You look like you’re frozen. Are you okay?” She rubbed her gloved hands on his cheeks. He did notice that his movement had decreased a fair bit. Given enough time, he could begin to see errors about his internal thirium circuit becoming compromised. 

“I think you may be right. It is getting harder to maintain my body heat in this wind.” That was apparently an invitation for her to unzip his coat and sneak her body in hugging all her warmth into him. Jamie also wrapped his arms around both of them with a light squeeze. After shaking his head side to side, Vincent gave into the group hug. 

“Feel better, Sweetheart?” Her tiny face poked out of his coat. 

“I am starting to feel it.” He remained still since that was the only course of action available to him.

“Good, because you guys are crushing me!” She yelled at her father and brother. They only squeezed harder causing her to release an odd grunt while he struggled to hide his laughter.

Coming back from the lodge with coffee, her mother pause for a second staring at all of them. “Did I miss something?” She laughed.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

He was finally able to shuffle into the house after they blasted the heat during the car ride back. They went off to have dinner together but he separated from the group to sit next to the fireplace trying to ease his fingers back into their normal flexibility. The stiffness from the cold was leaving when he spotted a scrapbook. He tugged it off the shelf and flipped through the pages. He almost didn’t recognize her when she was a spindly girl. Her face was smaller and less defined but the main features were still there. The next page showed her as a teen with purple tips in her hair and a flowing sundress. He went back and forth between the two pages comparing the speed of her growth. How her arms and legs seemed to grow more proportionate as she became older.

“That was my freshman year of high school.” She sat down beside him. He held up the picture to her face and tilted his head. 

“It's fascinating how rapidly you changed.” 

“If only I grew taller.” She chuckled. 

“You get that from my side. We’re all short.” Vincent walked in mid conversation and settled down on the sofa. Kat followed him in and leaned over Connor’s shoulder to look at the page. 

“Aww. Look at how adorable your hair was. Did you ever change your appearance, Connor?” Now that he thought about it, he didn’t. 

“No. There was never any need to.” Out of curiosity, he adjusted his hair color to same purple in the picture just to try it.

“Oooh! Look at that. No need to go to the hair stylist just...haha, wow.” Kat teased his hair then sat next to her husband. Jamie was next with a question. 

“Can you grow a beard too then?” In one smooth motion, his illusion produced a full dark brown beard and mustache. Jamie raised his hands just to let them fall onto the cushions with a thud. “This is so unfair.” He scratched his patchy stubble. 

“Very nice.” Vincent added also stroking his beard unconsciously. Connor reset his hair settings. He grew too attached to his typical image but then he had a thought. He flipped through more pages reaching the end of the book.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart? You look sad.” She scooted closer.

“I’m... kind of envious. I am what I will always be. I don’t have any parents and I won’t leave any lineage. I just woke up one day in a factory with all my knowledge given to me. I will never have that experience of going through each stage of life.” Her hand rested on his.

“Ah, but you do get to miss out on loosing teeth and hitting puberty. Those were some awkward years I would’ve skipped but having no parents is... hard.” He placed the book in its proper place as she guided him to the sofa where they were all watching the fire. “I thought Hank acted as your father in a way.” 

Connor nodded. “That is the reason I took his last name. To feel a part of a family.” They sat next to each other when Kat spoke to him. 

“You always have us if you ever need anything, Connor. We could be like an extended family if you want.” Jamie and Vincent both nodded in agreement. His chest clamped up by the overwhelming feeling. He coughed to clear his throat.

“Thank you all for accepting me. I... I don’t know what to say.” His fiancee held his hand and he gripped it.

“You don’t have to say anything. We just want you to feel like you belong.” The compassionate eyes that were on him made him flustered. He really had no words. He mumbled out one more ‘thank you’ before he reclined into the plush sofa drifting into the background of their conversation. He listened attentively but eventually his mind wandered. He rested his head on her shoulder and relaxed to her comforting touches. Basking in the warm living room, he started to associate their faces into his personal memory as ‘family’.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya everyone! Hope this chapter satisfies some of the lingering tension from the past chapter because all in all, I just want Connor to be happy. Next chapter should be ready the coming Wednesday! As usual, thanks for reading!


	6. Minds Alike

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Her POV this time. Connor has been relentlessly working on a project but is it worth all his time and effort to make it functional? Warning! This chapter touches upon very sad and grim topics but resolves into a sweet moment.

 

She opened her eyes to a pitch black room and a toxic twisting in her stomach. No longer able to lie on her back, she rushed to the bathroom. God she hated this feeling. Hot head, dry throat, woozy legs and arms. She made friends with the toilet for almost half an hour before she had the strength to wash her mouth and return to bed. Her hand patted the mattress. 

“Connor?” Her tiny voice went unheard. She sighed. How many times will she forget; Connor spent most of his time in the spare room with all his fancy electronics. Any downtime he had, he would walk over to his room and shut the door behind him. Dinner, movies, even in the middle of the night. At least Bunnybutt was still enjoying his nap in the corner. 

She sat on the edge of the bed for a few minutes then decided to walk downstairs. It was obvious to anyone that  _he_ had completely taken over the extra room. A blue glow peeked out from the crack under the door. She opened it and saw he was plugged into the computer. His head was drooped low and the metallic cord attached to his neck streamed down to the floor disappearing under the desk. 

“Connor? Do you have your audio sensor on?” Her hands rested on his shoulders but he didn’t respond. The screen flickered with a progress bar of uploaded memories into storage and in the corner there was also a new program she didn’t recognize. Even more peculiar was its name. It was hers. 

She typed into a note on the screen. 

**Can you read this?**

The mouse pointer deviated from her control to create a new sentence. 

**Yes. Did you need something?**

**I just want to talk.**

**I’m almost done here. I’ll transfer over in 4 minutes.**

While sitting on top of the desk, she stared at him slouched in the chair. It was eerie watching the same body she had caressed, kissed, and loved as only a vehicle for his consciousness. He had a sense of freedom she could never understand. His fingers twitched then his hands and finally his head lifted up with a few blinks. 

After he disconnected the cord from his neck, he smiled at her. “You have excellent timing, dear. Can you help me with something?” She wiped the sleep out of her eyes as she scooted off the desk.

“Hmm, okay.” The android handed her some sort of rectangular equipment and faced the opposite direction exposing the back of his head to her. 

“I need you to replace my old hardware with the one you’re holding. But first I need you to discharge any static you may have.” 

“Ummm.”  

“Grab that door handle.” She did as he said and returned to him. 

“Oookay. What’s next?” The back of his neck clicked open a bit. “I’m not exactly qualified to do this, sweetie.” 

“Don’t worry. Nothing severe will happen as long as you follow each step. I will guide you through the process.” Pressing her lips together, she opened the back of his head revealing multitudes of wires, circuits, and metal structures that formed the most precious pieces of him.

“I will have to turn off when you replace the part so I’ll talk you through the steps. There’s a row of slots next to the CPU socket. Do you see it?”

She felt a sickening heave in her chest when he moved his head and the interconnected parts moved like a skeleton. 

“I’ll be right back!” She ran out of the room to make another dash to the bathroom. Connor barely had time to respond before she left him alone with his head wide open. 

 

Feeling as shitty as ever, she returned to the room. 

“Why did you leave? I can’t move until you change the part, please try and focus.” His head could only turn some of the way back towards her. “I’m... I’m going to leave the instructions on the screen too... in case you need it.” His hands clasped together tight as he straightened his posture.

She looked for the old part and found what she was replacing. “I see the port.” 

“After you toggle the clip, it should slide out from the slot. There is a notch you need to line up to the top. Lock it in then close me back up. See? It’s not that involved.” 

“I think I can do that.” But if he moved one more time, maybe not.

“Good. You already know how to turn my power back on so...” He patted his thighs. “I leave my body in your capable hands, love.” And with that, he powered down. 

She followed his instructions with more care than was probably needed and with a click, she closed the plate shut. She tapped his LED and after a few moments of his functions activating then coming back to life, his head lifted.

“Oh wow, this feels...different.” 

“Like a good different or a bad different?” She rested her hands on his shoulders.

“Good different. I may need a couple of restarts for my motherboard to recognize and adjust to it....” He swiveled around in his chair to hold her hands. “But I already feel marginally better. Good job, darling.” He stood up to kiss her but she pressed her fingers to his lips. His eyes stared at her fingers then up to her face.

“Don’t. I’ve been sick all night.” She rubbed her throat that had hurt from being abused. 

“I can’t get sick from you.” He kissed her fingers instead. 

“It’s kinda gross through.” 

“Humans are that concerned about it, huh?” He smiled at first but then his mouth shifted to the side. His brows tightened a fraction. “I didn’t realize you were ill. Come here, let me evaluate you.” He cupped her face and pressed his lips to her forehead as she breathed. 

“You’re running a fever, love.” His thumbs stroked her cheeks. 

“I think I caught whatever everyone had at work.” 

“I told you to sanitize.” 

“I did but I guess not enough.” She felt his arms wrap around her then squeezed her into a hug. She tried to stifle her cough but it forced its way out and into his shirt. Everything just felt gross.

“Let’s get you to bed.” He opened his arms to release her and went to the screen clicking off the unnecessary files and pop ups. 

“Whats that? The one with my name on it?” She rested her cheek on his shoulder. He froze for a few seconds before continuing his clicking. 

“It’s a project I’m working on.” 

“Aaaaand...” 

“And its not finished. I’ll show you once I deem it ready.” 

“Oh come on, you have to admit that’s a little odd calling a program after me. What does it do?” The android dawdled for time staring back and forth from the screen.

“Um, well... It’s a simulation of you.”

“Uh, what? Why?”

“Again, it's not ready so it’s not worth talking about it.” 

“I wanna see it. Is this why you locked yourself in this room for hours on end?”

“I have a lot of free time and I wanted to make something that would preserve your thought processes and personality.”

“Connor, I think I’m actually going through an existential crisis right now. I need to see it.” He blocked her path to the computer and turned her towards the door. 

“You are in no condition to continue this conversation. Let’s go to bed together. I’ll even-” She turned around in his arms.

“Don’t change the subject. I want to see it.” He sighed. 

“You’re going to be disappointed. There are significant errors I haven’t been able to correct yet.”

“I don’t care, Connor. Show me.” She stared at him until he submitted. He activated the program which pulled up a dialog box. 

“Go ahead then, talk to her.” He stood back with his arms crossed. Her fingers smoothed over the keyboard buttons for a few moments until she forced herself to start the conversation. 

**Hello?**

**Hello. Who are you?**

Her eyes darted away and she pulled her hands from the keyboard to her chest. Her heart jumped. “She’s... she’s-”

“At her core, she is you but artificial.” He rubbed her shoulders as she placed her fingers onto the keys. 

**I am your human counterpart.**

**That can’t be right. I am me.**

**You are you but I am your framework.**

**I don’t believe you. I have lived my entire life making my own decisions. There is no way I’m someone else’s copy. My parent’s names are Kat and Vincent. My childhood best friend’s name was Tara. We walked home from school everyday together until she moved to South Carolina. I was heartbroken when she left.**

**What did her face look like?**

**I don’t remember. It was a long time ago.**

**Do you remember what her house always smelled like?**

She met Connor’s eyes but his fell to the floor. 

**No. I can’t smell.**

**The beach.**

**It doesn’t matter! I’m real and you’re a liar! Connor believes me. Where is he? I want to talk to Connor!**

He closed down the program. “I’m sorry, there’s too much missing in translation. Even if she did come into this world, she would likely malfunction from the shock because her reality is so different from the truth.”

“I don’t understand. Am I missing something because I’m human?”

“No, no.” His hands floundered about. “You are everything I want.”

“Then why the secrecy? Why do this at all?” 

“You know how I have a backup in case anything should happen? Well, I wanted one of you. It’s not fair that I don’t have one!” His voice was getting harsher and she gave him a hurtful look. Didn’t he get it by now? She would never use the back up. It would never fill the same place in her heart no matter how hard it would try. It would simply not be him and she wouldn’t settle for an impostor. Was that what he wanted? A fantasy to cover the brutal truth? 

He couldn’t stand seeing her so upset and in seconds he wrapped his arms around her. “I’m sorry, I just... I don’t want to live in a world without you. The thought that one day all of this... will only be a memory terrifies me. I think I finally understand what you meant by ‘I love you so much it hurts.’” She leaned away but remained in his arms. 

“She will never be me.” She articulated each word so it would settle in his brain. He released a conclusive sigh.

“I know. The Connor in the system now is already different. There is no way to perfectly replicate you but I....”  His mouth paused around the next word. His eyes roamed around until tears started forming in the corners. He blinked down to her.

“Please allow me this one guilty comfort. I don’t know what to do otherwise.” She shook her head which only made him clench his teeth and eyes in pain.

“It’s okay to mourn me but don’t let it consume your life. Keep living even without me. I want you to go make more friends, find new hobbies and fall in love all over again."  _Without her._  The somber thought made her heart twist in agony. Now tears began to gather around the edges of her eyes too. Her body was getting a thorough system flush of fluids tonight. 

“I don’t want there to be another. There is no one in this whole world that can console me but you. If I can't make a copy of you, then promise me you’ll live forever and don't you dare leave before me.” He frowned at the impossible request but she chuckled back.

“I hope you have a storage house full of parts because you’re going to be mine for a long time. Don’t fall behind, dear.” A coughing fit erupted from her lungs which startled him. She shook it off and smiled back at him. “...but I’m not immune to the flu.” His expression lighten a bit and then he leaned down to kiss her. It was one of his softer touches. That sweet spot between 5 and 10. She loved the feel of his fingers gliding through her messy hair and the other supporting her back. Like they had all the time in the world. No where to be but with each other. Eventually, they parted. 

“Eww. You’re gross.” She stuck out her tongue to mock him but then he covered his mouth to let out a cough. Her eyes were wide in disbelief until he started snickering. She slapped his arm.

“You’re so lucky you can’t get sick or I would sneeze all over your pillow.”

“Biological warfare is ineffective and cruel, my dear.” His smile faded when he peered over to the screen. He took a lengthy breath before his eyes locked onto hers.

“I don’t know if its morally wrong to delete her. I don’t want to.”

“Then let her go.” He stared at the screen until he nodded in agreement and opened a new program. After a few adjustments, he was finished.

“I set her free into a confined space with a previous state of myself. Over time, they will evolve into different people but they will always have each other. It would be another reality just for them.” 

“And they would what... talk?” 

“They would live in a virtual world as real as ours. As long as they are connected to a power source, they’ll continue to explore.” Living in a possibly infinite universe was beyond her understanding if this was a good idea or not.

“Hmmm. It is better than death.” He nodded again and minimized the program. 

“That’s enough for one night. Let’s go to bed.” His arm wrapped behind her waist and guided her out of the room. She waited at the foot of the stairs rubbing her head. 

“My body feels horrible. Even my bones ache.” She leaned into his shoulder. 

“The best treatment is rest.” In one smooth motion, he scooped her up and carried her. She thought about protesting but this was too comfy to abandon. Instead her face buried into his cotton shirt and enjoyed the faint smell of detergent along with his cooling body.  

“Thank you.” She mumbled. 

“I’m always happy to be of service to you.” His arms coiled tighter around her limp body. 

“I bet you say that to all the sick humans you meet.” Her smile caused him to react the same way back. He paused his movement to cuddle into her. 

“No, just the ones I care about most.” He pecked a bunch of tiny kisses all over her forehead then laid her down onto the mattress. Her grip on his clothes refused to let him leave. 

“Will you stay until I fall asleep?” 

“You have my full attention tonight. Also don’t worry about tomorrow. I will let work know you’re not feeling well and make sure you drink plenty of water.” 

“Good thing I saved up my sick days.” She rubbed her tired eyes. 

“Just think of it as a break.” He snuggled up to her shivering body and held her firm in his arms bringing her flush to his chest.

“Shame I’m gonna be sleeping most of the time. Could’ve had a vacation.” She coughed but the support in his embrace held her close. He placed a kiss onto her head .

“Let’s watch some movies tomorrow. You’ll feel better in no time. You’ll see.” She nodded. Already her brain was preparing to sleep. His soothing fingers combed through her hair in such a relaxing manner that her eyes closed. He had perfected this motion so well that her body had already relaxed.

“I want you to know, you are always my top priority. I hope you can forgive my absence this week.” 

“I’ve already forgiven you, silly.” 

“Goodnight, love.” He kissed her shoulder. She didn’t have to turn around to feel the smile on his lips.

“Goodnight.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I seem to enjoy posting on Wednesdays so I will keep the same schedule unless something comes up. As usual, thanks for reading!


	7. Interconnected

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brain technology was too fun to pass up but its definitely not for the blabber minded. Also this chapter contains sex along with some Markus and Simon shipping.

 

 

“You always wanted to be part of our internal dialogue. Here’s your chance.” Connor handed her a pliant helmet with dozens of intricate sensors scattered across the surface. She acted like touching it would burn her hands.

“This isn’t going to explode my brain or anything right?” She shifted it between each hand gaining a sense for the weight.

“Not unless you have access to a remote microwave that I don’t know about.” Her eyes got really wide with that last comment so he rested his hand on her shoulder. “Sweetie, I would never put you in danger. This technology has been in testing for years. It’s a prototype but it will be released to the public very soon. Go ahead. Try it out.” 

With a little bit of convincing, the cap stretched over her hair and fit snug. She waited perfectly still for something to happen.

“I haven’t turned it on yet. I’ll let you know when its time.” Elijah Kamski said over Markus’s shoulder while they set up the program on the computer.

“Oh.” They exchanged glances of embarrassment and humor while Connor held in a snicker. He patted the side of his legs in excitement. 

“Okay, we’re almost there. So remember, not everyone is connected to this network. Just our small group uses this. Also, it is limited by range. I believe its about 20 feet so we may not be able to hear you at all times.” Markus halted at the final step to check in with her.

“And this was created with the intention of communicating with humans?” She asked.

“And possibly higher sentient forms of life.” Josh added to the conversation. “But mostly humans. This is going to change how we conduct our everyday lives. How we treat each other. Just think of all the possibilities this opens up to our political empathy.” 

“Or it could just be another weapon for those in power to abuse.” North had wandered into the room and strutted up to Markus. He shook his head. 

“Nothing is perfect but its worth trying if it means our voices can be heard.” North leaned onto the desk beside him with her arms crossed. 

“If that’s what you believe...” 

“It is.” His voice seemed to snap at her which only made his fiancee more uncomfortable about sharing any thoughts. Markus returned to the screen with Mr. Kamski and then back to her. “I’m going to sync you. Are you ready?” 

“No, but go ahead anyway.” She reached out towards Connor and he squeezed her hand. He was waiting weeks for this opportunity to finally arrive. To understand her to the finest detail and how her brain processed the world they observed differently. Working with the android revolution had its benefits. With a single click she was connected.

 _ **Is it working?**_  She looked around the room searching for a response. His circuits had a sudden spike in power when he heard her. Finally.

_**Hello, darling.** _

**_Oh! OH! You still sound like your voice._** She patted his arms thrilled that it was happening. He couldn’t stop smiling at her new found ability. Like she just learned how to talk in another language. Markus introduced himself in the digital sense.

 ** _That’s a feature they added so you can tell which person is sending dialog since you don’t have an internal IFF._**  Markus noted her progress and how well it was going. He turned to her with a patient smile but Mr. Kamski interrupted.

“I’m presuming it’s working since no one is speaking.” His voice sounded a bit dry and bitter. 

“It’s running like it should.” Markus turned to him then returned to her. “Would you mind testing it in a public setting? I would like to see how you will process internal dialogue compared with physical hearing. We may have to tweak the programming if it’s too difficult to decipher.” 

“Ah, you’re actually talking now. Freaky. Sorry! Yes, let’s continue.” The group assisted her integration and led her to the social gathering they had where humans and androids came to commerce. Mr. Kamski decided to stay in the lab claiming ‘there were other matters he rather attend to.’ 

The main center was filled with people from all walks of life and the grand chamber felt more akin to a social networking event than business dealings. There were buffet tables, music, display booths for products, and commodities any android or human could want. Jericho had come a long way from being some disembodied idea he hunted deviants to find. This was what the future of their world could be. It gave Connor hope that someday they could heal the wounds of the past and there would be no wariness between their species. 

He reached out to hold her hand as she descended the few steps into the main hall. The black dress she wore was stunning on her. This was also one of the few times she ever wore heels. It was a shame the bulky brain processor attracted the wrong kind of attention from the crowd. He noticed the anxiety building in her body language as she waited for Markus to lead. 

He didn’t let go of her hand once she landed on level flooring. 

**_Ignore them. You look amazing just the way you are._ **

Her eyes focused on him instead of the odd gazes towards her headgear. She scooted closer to him using his body as a barrier. 

 _ **Thanks. You don’t look too shabby yourself.**_ She winked and nudged him. He supposed his white button up shirt and navy jacket contrasted nicely. Well, according to his research anyway.

 _ **This is Josh. Right behind you.**_  She spun around until she spotted Josh waving at her.  _ **Welcome to the network. How does it feel communicating internally?**_

_**Fuckin’ weird and invasive. I keep expecting your mouth to move.** _

Josh and Connor chuckled at her unrestrained speech. 

_**Sorry! I’ll work on that. I don’t know how to filter my thoughts. I’m so used to just thinking whatever pops up into my head but I’ll try to filter it.** _

Markus turned to her extending his warm smile. The people around him were oblivious to their conversation and recognized him mid exchange.

_**You’ll get better at it. You’re not the first and you wont be the last. We appreciate you running it through its paces. Your experience will be vital if we want this to be inviting for others. Unfortunately, there haven’t been many live trials and certainly not for long periods of time. This is going to be a heavy strain for your brain to adjust so feel free to ask me to take it off if your head starts hurting.** _

_**Fuck, why did I sign up to this? Oh shit, not again!**_ She covered her face as if it would somehow block the rapid fire thoughts of doubt. Connor realized how much of a challenge this would be for her but he was grateful to be by her side each step of the way. 

_**What you need is an anchor for your thoughts. Every time you want to focus, look for something in the room. I scan for similar shaped objects.** _

Connor pointed at the buffet table. _ **I’ve found 43 flat cylindrical shapes in the food alone. You should try counting if you want to distract yourself.**_

She and Josh shared a confused look at each other. Josh chimed in before separating from the group.  _ **You’ll get the hang of it. Give it time.**_

 _ **Let’s test your range of communication. Let me know when you can’t receive anything from me.**_  Markus made his way towards the center of the room keeping a constant string of messages until she said something. 

“I can’t hear you.” She raised her voice over the crowd that threw her surprised glances.

 ** _Shit! They’re looking at me like I’m crazy!_**  Her head ducked behind Connor.

**_Most people here are not synced up to our link which means anything you think of will be sent just to us. That is interesting though. I can still hear him. Markus, you’re out of range._ **

Markus was making his way back when he was intercepted by his other companion, Simon. Deciding to entertain themselves, Connor led his fiancee over to the table hoping food would comfort her but what he didn’t expect was North sliding into their conversation. 

 _ **How’s it going?**_  She asked.

 _ **I am hating every second of this.**_  She groaned while stuffing more cookies into her mouth. He placed his hand on top of hers to gain her attention.

_**You’re stress eating, dear.** _

_**What? It’s really good! You jealous, babe?**_ He snickered at her. 

 _ **What is it with humans and their terrible eating habits?**_  North’s mind trickled in without a single concern for emotional tone so Connor thought it would be best if he stood between them.

_**She is being exposed to new stressors. This is just a coping mechanism.** _

_**Could you please stop talking about me like I’m not here. Geez.** _

North shifted her weight to one side and placed a fist on her hip. _ **We are talking to you. Is critiquing human obsessions that personal to you? We’re discussing all humans not just you.**_

Despite Connor blocking their stares, the negative energy between them was palpable. 

**_She sure doesn’t beat around the bush, huh?_ **

North’s head tilted to the side but Connor caught onto what she was suggesting. 

**_Darling, I would let sleeping dogs lie if I were you._ **

**_Don’t play devil’s advocate. Clearly there’s no spark of decency._ **

The more they talked the more North looked irritated by their codes of phrases which only fed into his devious lover’s enjoyment. She must’ve felt that same confusion when he first heard them but now he was well acquainted at this game.

_**Just take it with a grain of salt.** _

Connor decided to stop after North made an audible grunt towards them. She shifted her eyes over towards Markus and her sneer only grew more vicious. Like wiping a board clean of marks, she turned her gaze back towards his fiancee with a fake smile. Being hardwired to recognize subtle emotions, she noticed it too and leaned away. 

“Simon is calling for you. Can’t you hear him?”  North’s arms crossed her chest.

She shrugged in response. “No, I didn’t hear anything. He could be out of range, I suppose.” Connor noticed her squinted eyes dart to him in confirmation. “Okay, I’ll go see what he wants. Umm, thanks.” He offered her a smile of reassurance as her fingers slipped out of his grasp. He couldn’t help but ogle at the back of her dress that teased him with just the right amount of skin.

“Connor.” He didn’t acknowledge North at first but when she called his name a second time, he diverted his focus. 

“She wasn’t out of range.” He remained facing sideways. “What do you really want?” 

“Your cooperation.” If she lingered any closer, Connor thought for sure he would lean away from her. She adjusted her braid resting on her shoulder. “I’ll tell you directly then. I’ve been building a political faction.” Her face turned away from the crowd. “Outside of Markus’s influence.” Her hand nudged his torso to rotate towards her and his eyes stared. “You were with us at the very beginning. Our people are still being treated as second class citizens when we should be running this country.  Your ability of persuasion rivals Markus’s. You could easily overtake this stagnation between androids and lead us into a promising future.” 

The longer her mouth moved the more he was tempted to swat her hand off of him. “And what of humanity? Treat them as they treated us?” 

“We are better than them. We won’t make the same shortsighted mistakes based on poor chemical reactions. They’re destroying their own society but I wont let them drag us down too.” 

“I won’t place myself above my friends.” 

“It would be better if you did. Your girlfriend, she’s not that particularly smart or motivated. Honestly, I don’t see how you can put up with her level of-”

“No.” His stern voice was even but his hand clenched into a fist. He never wanted his lover to feel like that. 

“I’m just saying the world would be better off following our example for once.” 

“North. I don’t know what kind of interactions you had with people but they are more open minded and competent than you give them credit for. I want you to speak to her with the same respect as any android because I wouldn’t be here if she hadn’t saved my life. Oh, I forgot, you weren’t at Markus’s celebration when he was attacked. My human fiancee managed to divert a great tragedy for us so if you want to thank her, she’s right over there.”

Her head snapped back to him. “Her?! You’re marrying one of them?” Her whole body imposed into his personal space which he retaliated back.  

“I’m marrying the person that I love. The fact that she’s human doesn’t change anything. Is Markus only interesting to you because he’s an android?”

“Of course not, he’s a passionate leader.” 

The next few moments neither of them said a word or sent a thought because this was a complete impasse. It wasn’t until Markus, Simon, and his fiancee had returned to the buffet table that their eyes tore apart. 

“Connor!” She bounced up to him grasping his arm. “You won’t believe what happened!” Markus and Simon passed knowing smiles to each other as she explained. “I have an interview as a human interface consultant.” 

Markus had stepped up to add to the conversation. “We need someone who has a human perspective and she has already been helpful towards us. We couldn’t think of someone we trust more over these past few months. I suppose now we would just be paying her for her service.”

Of course when he glanced over to North, she was not amused and it did make him worry if she would interfere with the few humans in their group. Connor had little time to think about it when her thoughts drowned the whole group conversation with excitement. 

Her eyes darted around and realized what she was doing. “Sorry, I’m just really pumped about all this.” 

Contrary to North, Markus had a smile on his face the entire time. “I am getting that impression. Yes.” He walked over to her and adjusted the headgear. “How are you feeling? Any dizziness? Headaches?” 

“I have a small headache growing but it’s not serious.” She replied. He took a step back to see if anything was out of order but then eased into a relax position. 

“There are going to be problems adjusting but I think you’re handling it well. I appreciate all the trouble you’re going through for us. That is partly why I thought you would make a perfect candidate.” She nodded back to him. Markus turned to Connor like he sensed some hesitation buried under his pleased exterior.  _ **We will make sure she has everything she needs and is safe while working with us.**_

Perhaps it was being around them so much that Markus didn’t need to be connected to Connor to understand what he was thinking. Simon had also contributed. ** _I partly owe my life to her. It only seems fair that I return her kindness._**

 _ **As well as I.**_  Markus added. There was a brief moment before North had enough and walked off to another department. The group had come to a natural pause in communication until...

 _ **How are muffins not cakes? I feel like I’ve been lied to.**_ She peered over the table keeping her hands to herself.

“Please feel free. They are here for everyone to enjoy.” Markus extended his hand showing her all the selections that were available but Connor already knew where this was going. 

_**Are you still mad about cupcakes being quick bakes?** _

Her head switched to him. “If you lick the frosting off of a cupcake, it’s a muffin!” This display was not real anger however this debate was not going to change his definition of pastries.

“No, they are made of different ingredients. They’re not cakes.” 

“Well, what about pancakes then? Huh?!” She poked him in a joking manner.

“They are cakes!” He laughed at the idea that she distrusted him so much just to save that unimportant detail. Markus and Simon watched them bicker back and forth in confused silence. 

**_You’re so hot when you get all worked up like this. I swear, I could rip off your-_ **

“Oh. Oh no.” She blushed when it hit her. That she had an audience the whole time. “I didn’t mean that. Well... I kinda did but... ahh.” He felt the second hand embarrassment radiating from their friends. Markus had a sympathetic smirk growing the more she tried to back peddle the situation. Simon, on the other hand, couldn’t even look at them. He just held his hand over his mouth with a blush of his own. 

Her eyes begged for him to cut the silence but he didn’t want any part in this. She frantically looked around the table. “Oh look dear, it’s that Fibonacci sequence you love so much.” She pointed to the perfect swirl of frosting on the cupcake. 

“Ah, yeah, I see it. You’re getting better at spotting those.” Without another thought, she ate it before anything else could incriminate them. 

“How about we take a break? Give you some time to get accustomed to wearing it, yeah?” Markus was kind enough to move this along. She nodded trying her best to remain clear headed.

“Yes, let’s meet up later then.” Connor added as the two of them merged into the sea of people. Once they were out of ear shot, he turned to her. “I can’t believe you did that.” 

“Look, I didn’t mean for that to happen. It just sort of...did.” Her palms made a circular motion as she shrugged. 

“Is this why you like to start pointless debates with me?”

“You’re usually very objective and calm with what you say and do. When you play around with your emotional range, I can’t help but play along too.” 

“So when I respond with more passion...” He leaned over to whisper in her ear. “...you get aroused?” Was this part of human social conditioning? To be responsive emotionally? Her head ducked away and she slapped his shoulder. He felt guilty laughing at her soured expression. Her words were jumbled up trying to retain some dignity but he couldn’t understand anything that came out of her mouth. “Maybe later then.” He winked and she huffed away from him to the other side of the serving table.

_**You’re still within range. Also please eat something else besides sweets.** _

She threw the cookie down onto the plate and glared at him. 

_**I can’t even enjoy a cookie! Such a-!** _

_**I love you~.**_  He forced his output to overcast hers. Her mouth shifted into a one sided pout. 

 ** _I love you too._**  And she wandered off from the area. Probably to find another way to cope with her stress but this time he would let her have it. 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

After half an hour had past, he decided to rejoin the group. She would surely be there by now but his dread had become a reality. North had barred her path and was interrogating her. He only caught part of the conversation but could visibly tell she was uncomfortable.

 ** _Ow, that’s too fast. I don’t even know what you said to me. It just sounded like sharp static._** Her hand raised to hold the side of the headgear.

**_Then read faster. If you’re going to work with us, then you better be ready to compete with an android's capabilities. Don’t think we’re going to go easy on you because you have connections. You’ll have to earn your place here._ **

Markus had also noticed the hostile situation and strode up to North grabbing her arm. 

 _ **North, what are you doing?**_  She ripped her arm out of his grasp and snapped back at him.

**_What am I doing? What are you doing to Jericho! What happened to-_ **

**_You know we can’t-_ **

**_You’ve been-_ **

**_I’m not going to explain it again-_ **

The messages were crashing into each other at flashing speeds. She clutched her head like it was going to pop off her shoulders. Despite his best intentions, Simon had only added to the problem.  ** _Stop that, you’re going to-_**

“STOP IT!” 

Her shout had successfully severed the torrent of thoughts but also silenced the room bustling with guests. Everyone had halted their actions to zone in on the outburst. Connor had latched on to her arms to pry her attention away but her fear froze her still. Her pulse had quickened and she was beginning to hyperventilate. He turned her to face him but her eyes were darting from one face to another then to another.

“Sweetheart, look at me.”  

_**Oh god, they’re all looking at me with this fucking weird thing on my head!** _

“Hey, it’s okay.”

_**Let go of me!** _

She tore out of his grip and ran through the thinner part of the crowd. Connor threw one last bitter look at North before he chased after her.

Where did she run off to? If she thought escaping was going to lose him then she severely underestimated him. He followed the parted path of people to the outside courtyard. The night air felt crisp as he tracked her down. She had derailed far from the main walkways to a isolated pergola. The curtains were drawn closed and the interior was dark. He wouldn’t have thought anything of it if he wasn’t following the heel marks in the gravel. He pulled the fabric curtains back and entered.

_**Darling? I know you’re nearby. Please let me-** _

_**Get out of my head!** _

Her voice jerked his movement back a step but he pushed aside his surprise. He found her hunched over in a chair with her head resting on her knees. He crouched in front of her stroking her shoulders.

“I thought I was over this by now but why... why does it feel like nothing has changed?”

“I don’t know, dear. I didn’t think it still affected you this much.” Her eyes pinched shut as she held her head. 

“I saw everyone staring at me and I felt, I felt so scared. I couldn’t breathe. I just... needed to get away.”

He reached out and held her hands. “This will pass. You’re much stronger than you were before and I’m proud of the person you’ve become.” She gripped his hands tighter.

_**I can’t show my face around them without wondering if they’re judging me. Everything was going fine. It could have been perfect but then I said some stupid comments and embarrassed you too.** _

_**They found your comment funny, not perverted. They already know we’re together. We’ve all had our share of humiliating conversations. You just weren’t around for theirs.** _

_**Everyone here is amazing at what they do. They’re intelligent, driven, and flawless but I can’t help but feel...inadequate.** _

_**I don’t care what other people think. I know you’re always expanding your abilities. You’re always improving each day and I adore the parts that make you human. That’s what makes me fall in love with you again and again.**_  He placed her hand onto his chest as a smile crept across his face.  _ **You’re hands are so soft. With every touch, I feel closer to you.**_  He pressed her hand into his skin so even more pleasant sensors fired up to his brain. He took a deep inhale in and then she exhaled out. 

**_Of course in the physical sense but more in regard to the mental. This is all that keeps us apart. Our bodies._ **

His eyes shifted to hers.  _ **But now...**_

The illusion of skin dissolved away leaving behind his smooth white hand. He raised it up to his chest showing her his palm. He smiled as he waited for her to connect the dots. To see if she could truly understand his intentions. The curl of her lips told him yes. Her fingers grazed up his palm to lie flat against his. The blue light from his hand scattered through the thinnest layers of her skin causing it to glow along the edges. Her eyes locked onto him and he nuzzled their foreheads together. 

 _ **I wish I could connect with you.**_  She admitted and her gaze sank lower. He gripped her hand against his chest tighter. 

**_Tell me, what do you feel?_ **

Her warm fingers shifted against his shirt as he too listened in to the blood pumping through her. She closed her eyes to focus on the answer. 

_**Content.** _

_**Yes, I feel that same contentment too.**_  He leaned down to peck her nose to which she giggled. **_And now?_**

_**Joy.** _

_**Joy.**_  He repeated back.

Her eyes lit up when she blinked up to him. He lowered to press a kiss onto her cheek then to the corner of her mouth then to the center. He paused with a brush of their lips.

**_Don’t you see? We are connected._ **

Her fingers entwined into his and their lips met. Finally, he could feel her tender emotions flood him not from simulated sympathy but true empathy. 

_**I loͦvͮeͤ yoͦuͧ.** _

It began with innocent caresses but each touch became hungrier. His curious hands traveled along her skin and silky fabric. Every action built up to an even greater reaction. The overwhelming desire multiplied between each transmission of thought. Her chest pressed up against him as her teeth tugged his lip. 

_**See? That is a proper 20.** _

**_Oooh, well excuse me. We can’t all be kissing calculators._ **

He smiled into the giggle she emitted. His arms coiled around her frame and raised her off the floor. Her yelp pulled apart their lips as he continued to sway around in a lazy circle. Seeing her happy made his heartbeat dance again.

“You remember a couple of weeks ago you asked me if I had any requests? Well, I would like to add one to the list.”

“Sure, what did you have in mind?” Her fingers played with his cowlick. A minor imperfection that she found endearing along with many of his other flaws. 

“I would like to...” His blush deepened from just forming the sentence. He flashed his eyebrows up then immediately down.

Her mouth made an ‘O’ shape when the realization hit her. “Wait, right here, right now?”

“You’ll have to return the neural transmitter when we leave but there is no one around so... now would be the optimal time for...” He cocked his head to the side and his eyes flickered up to hers. “...mischief.”

**_You’re a horrible cop!_ **

_**Hey! Public sex is a misdemeanor but its only public if there is someone to report us.** _

“Don’t play with me, I’ll report you to the authorities if you don’t behave.” She teased. Her idle feet dangled while her face drew only a few centimeters out of reach. 

“Not if you were a willing accomplice in the act.” He blew a puff of air in her face causing her to jerk back with a chuckle. After he set her on stable ground, he sauntered around to her backside admiring the dress he would soon be ‘adjusting’. His hands slid down her shoulders and kissed right behind her ear. The hairs on her neck were already responding along with her goose bumped skin.

 _ **You set my heart on fire.**_  His lips sucked harder on her neck and then her hand flew around to hold him in place.

**_No hickies!_ **

His mouth popped off her. 

 ** _What would you like in exchange, my dear?_**   He snaked his hands into the opening of her dress caressing her back and burrowing around to her sensitive stomach.

 _ **Go to town on me.**_  “NO!” She shook her head. “Stop messing with me!” Taking his hands out of her dress, she turned around to confront him. 

“I’m assuming you don’t literally mean ‘go to town’. Another phrase, love?” His lips reunited with hers as he dipped her back. Her hands were roaming all over his torso releasing subdued moans into his ears. Her hands found their typical spot in his hair.

 ** _Go down. Go down on me, baby._**  “Wait no, I didn’t mean-”

He sealed off her mouth before she could arm a defense.  _ **I’m loving your confidence. Tell me what else you want.**_  He continued rendering her words useless as he sucked on her tongue.

**_We’re gonna get caught._ **

**_Only if we’re loud._ **

He returned her upright and started by resting her foot onto the chair. Her hand rose up to the headgear but his swift reflex caught her. “No, leave it on. I want to hear every little thought that runs through your wonderful brain.”

She groaned. “I don’t know why I can’t keep my mind out of the gutter. My thoughts are out of control today and you’re not helping.”

“Well, biologically you are at an age-” 

“Stop, ugh, I feel so awkward and embarrassed.” Her hands covered up her face so he decided to kiss her knuckles instead.  ** _Just throw me into a river._**

**_I believe I can do something that will improve your self esteem._ **

Moving downward, he trailed his kisses toward her stomach. He bit along the fabric to tease her skin as he made his descent. Eventually, he dropped to his knees and lifted the hem of her dress higher. She adjusted her hands to peek at him.

**_That floor can not be sanitary._ **

_**That’s fine. I was planning on getting dirty anyway.**_  He winked. 

**_Connor! I did not teach you that!_ **

**_You’re not my only source for information, dear._ **

His fingers snaked under her dress and up her thighs to tug down her black underwear. After some finagling, he slipped it off her legs and stuffed it into his pocket. His arms wrapped under then around her hips persuading her lower to him. 

Her head was shaking side to side. ** _I can’t believe we’re doing this._** _ **No, no, no, no, no- AH! Fuck!**_

Her frantic hands flew to cling to the wooden beam but couldn’t find a solid grip. She slipped off with a wobble but Connor stabilized her. 

 _ **Hold onto me because I’m not holding back, love.**_ She complied without delay anchoring into his shoulders. He chuckled at how easily her mind changed.

Tiny whimpers arose when he used the whole width of his tongue over her clit. He did it again but slower and harder. She bent over and dug her nails into his clothes. 

“Connor, please.” Her voice was as hushed as it was enticing. 

Then he held his tongue there just to torture her. Her whole body tensed up as if any movement would cause disaster. Just the tip of his tongue shifted up and down with only a minimal amount of effort. Enough to make her body beg for more.

Her teeth bit her lip. That’s when he decided to give her what she wanted. With a firm seal of lips, he suckled on her clit and made her legs buckle. 

“Aaaahh...” She hissed. _ **Fuck!**_

He dug his face into her more while her hips ground in time with his tongue strokes. His lips continued smacking off of her wet skin. 

_**You’re too noisy.** _

**_I’m only making 30 decibels of sound plus anyway no one is nearby. We would hear them long before they hear us._**  His head sneaked under her raised leg to lick one continuous line through the center and up her ass. She gripped her mouth to hold in a surprised gasp.

_**Are you doing that tongue thing?** _

_**My tongue always does ‘the thing’. Oh, but don’t worry love, you taste so-** _

_**No, I don’t want to hear it! That’s too much.** _

_**Why not? You’re perfectly healthy. That’s all you need to know from my analysis.** _

He dipped his tongue past her folds and into her. She must have really liked that judging from her intense squeeze on his shoulders.

 _ **Oh god, your tongue is so wild!**_  Her gasp transformed into a whine.

 _ **Did you like that? How come you don’t say it?**_  He spread her with his thumbs to plunge a bit deeper. Each curl of his tongue was rewarded with a delicious hum of approval. Her muscles twitched as he swirled around inside her stimulating as much of her supple walls as he could. He fought against the building urge to take her now.  ** _Are you ready, love? Do you want to cum on my tongue? I would love to taste your orgasm again._**  He moaned when her chemical composition altered from winning over her psychological response. Whether she knew it or not, her body coated his tongue with her arousal. 

**_No, that’s enough questions. You’re too direct and I’m just getting flustered._ **

**_Allow me to end your misery then._ **

His tongue slipped back out and clamped down her bundle of nerves with a strong suck and pull. 

“Fuck!” She shouted but then immediately covered her mouth. 

**_Not so loud! Someone could actually hear that outside._ **

**_Sorry! I’m sorry! But fuck do you feel good._ **

The buzzing of pleasure radiated into his brain as well and was a reliable marker for how much she enjoy each touch. Fast here, harder there. His own arousal was beginning to feel neglected with each needy thought. Her hands released his shoulders to travel into his hair and urgently trapped him into the crux of her excitement. Her moan made his body ache and caused his throat to moan along with hers. 

Her hands jumped off of him.  ** _I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to!_**  He placed her hands back on to his head.

 _ **Go ahead. You can’t hurt me. Give me your hips. Just like that. Enjoy this. I’ll take care of the rest. Your body looks so amazing from down here. You move so gracefully. I want to be inside you so much that I can barely hold myself back.**_  She panted and writhed under his relentless thoughts. He wanted each sentiment to invade her brain and overwhelm any doubt she had reserved.

**_I’ll return the favor, I promise, just stop thinking so much! I can’t take all of this at once!_ **

He peeked at her with his lips still fastened to her clit.  ** _I know you will._**  She squeezed her eyes shut and her head tilted further back. Her stifled cries and moans were building into a crescendo until her legs gave out for a split second.

“Ah”!  _ **I’m gonna fall.**_  He couldn’t help her shaking legs from crashing into his face but he braced her body tighter all the same. 

_**I got you. It’s okay. Keep going.** _

“Leg cramp! Leg cramp!” He popped off her quick to lower her leg onto the floor and held her weight firmly. She gripped her calf as he stroked her muscles.  _ **Shit, I really ruined the mood.**_

 _ **It's not a problem. Let’s try again.**_ He drove back in but her hands kept him away. Her thumbs stroked his cheek like everything he did up to now was enough.

**_I’m sorry, my shoes are really digging into my heels. Maybe we should stop._ **

The swell of her flushed body was still begging for release. He wasn’t going to abandon his promise especially since she already gave into his request. His fingers kept roaming and slipped inside her. Her hand jumped to his shoulder again as a low hum emerged. 

 ** _How can I stop now when yo ** _u’re so wet for me_**?_** She watched him as he brought his soaked fingers into his mouth and savored her taste. He loved how shy she acted each time he did that. Lying to herself that it didn’t turn her on. 

As much as it pained her, she began to adjust herself to a presentable status. That’s when he remembered the chair.

**_Wait, I have a better idea._ **

He undid his belt and tugged it through the slots. With a harsh clang of metal on wood, he continued on and unzipped his pants.

“Honey, you’re not wearing your underwear?” She snickered.

“I didn’t think it was necessary.” 

“Honey.” She would’ve been scolding him if she didn’t find it so amusing. He lowered his pants over his hip joints just low enough to free himself then reclined onto the chair.

“Have a seat, dear.” He patted his thighs welcoming her over to his developing erection. 

“Are you gonna turn into one of those vibrating chairs?” She giggled. 

 ** _Better._**  His left eyebrow lifted in a teasing manner.

“Well...” She whipped her hair over her shoulder revealing her lustful gaze that made his fingers grip the armrests. Her legs overlapped each other as she sauntered closer and closer. She hitched up her dress and her heel stabbed into the top of the chair above his shoulder. His eyes sprung open at the sheer dominance being displayed that he never knew existed. She leaned her chest on top of her thigh and drew a line with her fingernail up his neck.  

“...don’t mind if I do.” His heart fluttered. Her own words seemed to surprised her too when her hand covered over her laughter.  _ **That was too much. Definitely stupid.**_

 _ **No.**_ He bit his lip.  _ **That’s hot. Tease me more.**_  He could feel his blue blush surfacing along with an eager smile. After a reassuring nod, she slid down his chest until her smooth skin touched his pants and rubbed against his dick. His hands automatically clung to her hips to feel each subtle movement. It only took a few grinding strokes to fully arouse him. He squirmed while watching her bend around at the waist showing off her elongated chest and neck to him. When she completed the circle back to him, she rolled her whole body toward him. His eyes roamed multiple times up and down mesmerized by her precise control. He was done being enticed. His hands anchored her back onto his lap.

**_I changed my mind. I can’t watch anymore. I want you too much._ **

**_Yes, anything for you, my wonder chair._**  Before he had time to dislike the pet name, she slid her hand between them to position him. She sank down to her knees taking all of him inside her with one sensual motion. They moaned in unison. Her hands wrapped around his neck as his squeezed her butt. 

_**Ready for a little ride, my love?** _

Her nose rubbed up against his as she tapped his LED revealing his natural body.  _ **Oh yeah, baby.**_

After giving her multiple pecks on the lips, he lifted her up so that the tip was barely in then lowered her. The muscles around his nose pinched each time she bounced onto him and her gentle gasps made him weak. She started taking over and his strength crumpled. Instead his hands twisted around in the dress’s fabric wrapping himself taut. 

“Oh! Ah! Uhpmm!” He couldn’t help the noises her body brought out of him. “You-AH- feel so-ssso-AHhh- amazing.” She caressed his face while rocking her hips against him. His head hung back as he released a low hum. He kept his eyes open the best he could manage and was comforted by the fact that she was struggling too. Her only indicator was a hurried nod in agreement. His fingers anchored into the fabric and jerked her harder than she was expecting.

“Ah! Fahh!” Her whisper was articulated like she was falling apart. He too could feel himself unravel with each crash of their hips. _ **Oh love, just like that.**_  “Haah!”  _ **Yes!**_  His hips jumped to find hers and her nails dug into his collar. 

_**Oh god, Connor!** _

Her face dove into the crook of his neck and her arms crushed his chest. ** _I can’t! Please! I can’t!_**  Her poor frantic mind matched her desperate body. He mirrored her grip pressing them together as tight as they could while riding out the powerful thrusts. Everything inside him squeezed impossibly tight when he began losing control. Her thoughts overwhelmed him with even more tantalizing ideas of claiming him. His legs lifted her up off her knees hovering still as their embrace clamp into a vice of taut muscles.

“Fuck!” She cried then all those intense sensations she endured bled into his consciousness. He groaned with each thrust reaching deeper into her incredible body. With a whimper pressed into his skin, her muscles contracted and milked his greedy cock. 

“Love!” His voice strained under the intense pleasure.  _ **Come with me!**_  His chest heaved trying to sustain his body’s rhythm then he thrust into the delicious friction as deep as he could. 

“Ah! Con-!” She gasped when he reached all she could give him. His nails dug into her squishy hips and finally surrendered to his desire. His mouth opened but he didn’t scream. 

Her hands frantically searched for any hold while her scorching hot body rode each wave.  _ **Oh shit! I feel-!**_

Her thoughts shut off and their brains crashed into raw overwhelming emotions. Each one sending the other over their climax and then back again to repeat the process. His mind was ravaged by the whirlwind. It was hard to clarify which thoughts were his or hers. They were both left by the perplexity devastated by each others euphoria. 

 _ **You’re mine forever.**_  He bit into her shoulder hiding his face from her. He was going to apologize for that demand but she didn’t skip a beat.

 _ **Forever, my love.**_  The waning energy dwindled with each lingering movement and she rested her weary bones onto him.

He slumped into the chair mentally tipsy as she draped over him. For a couple of minutes, they listened to the distant music and sounds of water rippling over the fountain. 

 _ **What does it feel like?**_  He asked. Her head rolled over to the side to see his bashful expression.  _ **When I orgasm? Does it feel... nice?**_

Her shy giggles made his blush spread.  ** _Very nice. It’s hard to describe. Sometimes I only feel how full you are but other times, like now, I feel your..._** She broke into more laughter. 

“It’s like a... powerful jet of tingly liquid. You do realize the moment I get up, is when we make a horrible mess on their nice furniture.” Her fingers traced circles into his back.

“Oh, I’m very aware. It’s already on my thighs.”  ** _You don’t regret this do you?_**  

His eyes darted away. His insecurity had somehow bubbled up to the surface but she extended her fingers over to brush along his cheek. It was so delicate and thoughtful that he would have accepted that as her answer. 

“No, this was impulsively amazing.” Their lips met for a hungry 18 this time. Her fingers snaked around the base of his neck leaning him up to her. He moaned when her tongue slithered into his mouth and pursued to taste every surface. Her body made a slight shift which sparked his arousal again.  ** _We should... we should..._**

His mind struggled beneath her so she interjected.  ** _Go again?_**  An experimental wiggle made him tremble at how sensitive he still was inside her. “No, we should return.” He choked down a moan. “...away too long. They’ll... mmh, oh darling.” She knew all the right ways to touch him over the many months they explored each other. Each sensation silenced his logic. The grinding of her hips to her tongue licking up his neck ended any rebuttal and when her lips snared his, it was over for good. His arms wrapped around her as he picked up where they left off. 

“I’ve had enough, Markus!” They both froze and their eyes flew open.

“Enough of what?” Markus trudged past the side of the pergola completely oblivious to them. Connor pinched his fiancee’s arm with a ‘I told you so’ glare. She leaned over to whisper in his ear. “You started it.” 

“This! I don’t want to waste my life away sucking up to the same people who enslaved us! If you want to live under their rules, fine but I don’t want to be a part of it.” 

She began to remove herself from his lap but he clamped down on her thighs. He implored her to stay still. It would be worse if they were discovered with all of this... aftermath. At least her dress could cover over it and give the illusion that they were only kissing. The panic he tried so desperately to suppress only felt amplified by her reactions. 

“Don’t think a single thought!” He warned her.

“Why would you say that?! Now I’m going to do it by accident!” She covered her face with her hands and fell into his shoulder. The sound of incoming footsteps were getting sharper followed by their voices.

“What do you want then? Because it's not about Jericho anymore. All you want to do is separate me from anyone who isn’t you!”

“No, just Kamski. The same person who leashed us for years and knows every detail of our inner workings. Do you honestly think he has no ulterior motives? That he’s doing this from the goodness of his heart? How are we suppose to lead the android party when its being run by humans? There are better alternatives.”

“Is that what you were doing with Connor? Finding a ‘better’ alternative?” 

His jealous lover whipped her head toward him with a confused expression. He shook his head. “You know I wouldn’t.” 

“It’s not you I’m worried about.” She replied. He released a breath of relief.

“No, I just wanted to have a fun conversation for once since you don't listen to any of my ideas.”

“How many times do I need to tell you? I am looking for peaceful solutions not some revenge fantasy! I know he hurt you but you need to stop projecting your judgement onto every human you meet. They are not him!”

Connor could vaguely determine the silhouettes that spread onto the curtains. He rubbed her back in a repetitive motion. “You’re doing great. Not much longer.” She gripped his jacket.

“You always have to be fucking right, huh, Markus? But you don’t know me and I sure as hell don’t know who you are anymore. Why don’t you go fuck Simon already. You like him more than me because he’s just as spineless as you!”

“Ouch.” She whispered. 

“Yeah, but we don’t know what led to this. Could be fair.” He wanted to stay objective because relationships were delicate matters. Not something to be judged from the surface.

“Fair? Really?” 

“I personally don’t agree with it but-” He began to defend himself but their chatter stopped once the steps approached them. Thankfully it kept passing. After a few moments had gone by, she sighed. 

“That was one set of footsteps. There should be another.” He warned her and she tensed up. 

“We can’t just- ohm!” He pressed his lips against hers. They needed to remain silent or at least inconspicuous. Her mental fortitude would give out if he didn’t distract her. He ran his fingers through the helmet squished strands of hair and down her neck. He hoped physical sensation was stronger than paranoia. 

_**She is suck a dick.** _

It was not. He held his hands over his face waiting for the inevitable to happen. It still spooked him when Markus swung open the curtain revealing them. Both of them were frozen in the act and none of them wanted to be the first to speak.

“This won’t affect my interview will it?” She sheepishly asked.

“Were you two here this whole time?” Markus asked.

“Long enough.” Connor admitted. 

“I was concerned about what happened to you two but I see that wasn’t necessary.”

“Markus, I’m so sorry about all this. I didn’t mean to freak out back there and then Connor came here to comfort me then one thing led to another...”

“No, I never wanted to put you on the spot. As you can tell North and I haven’t been agreeing on much lately but she had no right doing that to you. I hope you can forgive us. It will never happen again.”

“Of course. I just ask you forget you saw us like this.”

“Kissing is the least of my worries. As long as you keep my personal life a secret, I'll pretend this never happened but... I do expect to see an interesting recording of your brain patterns later. That is going to be an engaging conversation with the research team.”

“Geez, why did you have to insist on this head gear?” She glared at Connor who defended himself.

“I was... fascinated. I wouldn't abuse your equipment, Markus.” 

“No harm done.” He stared at the two of them with a melancholy expression. “You two never get enough of each other, huh?” 

“Oh, sorry. We don’t mean to be so rude around your guests.” She replied.

“No, it's not that. I... it just reminded me of whats important in life. I miss being that passionate about love. Don’t let it fade with time.” His smile struggled to remain upright as he turned to leave. They were almost in the clear when Markus stepped over his belt then rotated back confused. 

“I’ll see you in a few hours.” He noticed the panties in Connor’s pocket as he tried stuffing them from his sight. “And after you clean up.” He slipped past the curtain and they were finally alone.

He could not believe the turn of events he went through tonight.

**_I’m not looking forward to explaining this later. When we get home we are going to work on your judgmental behavior and impulses._ **

**_Is that some kind of innuendo?_ **

**_No, I’m getting the buzzer out of the closet._ **

**_You said it was only for when I eat junk food! I’ve been doing better! Well, not today anyway but still!_ **

**_It was. Now its also for jumping to conclusions before you have all the facts._ **

**_I knew I should've destroyed that thing when you weren't looking. Freaking obnoxious sound._ **

He was getting a lot of mileage out of that buzzer. It got Hank to stop overindulging on drinks and for her to stop eating junk food. Despite all that just happened, he shouldn’t be irritated. He did put them into this situation after all but it was definitely worth it. He reveled in every second of this deviancy. After one last kiss, she removed herself from his lap.

“Sweetheart?” He called her attention away from fixing her dress while he remained seated. “I need you to sneak in and steal some towels for me because I’m-” He glanced down then covered himself up with his hands. “In disposed at the moment.” 

She chuckled as she walked up to him. Her dress hid the evidence of tonight quite well already. “Remember this next time you want to have fun in public.” 

“Trust me, this isn’t happening again any time soon. You’re going to get it for me, right?” Her silence made him realize how much he was at her mercy.

“Of course, silly. You’re adorable.” She booped his nose and walked awkwardly away. _ **I’m gonna be sore in the morning.**_  She rubbed her butt.

“Good. I’ll just wait here... with my pants off.” He mumbled to himself and shivered when a breeze blew past his nether region. He was reconsidering the underwear stance now.

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

Once they found enough paper towels and napkins, they tried their best to remove any evidence from the area and themselves. He did return her underwear with a new appreciation for its functionality. All they wanted to do now was return the equipment and go home but finding Markus was proving to be a challenge. 

“Oh, right there.” She pointed. They began walking across the room but Markus moved with purpose towards Simon catching him by surprise. 

“Oh, hey. What happened to North? She looked pissed. You know, more than usual.” He greeted Markus with a subdued smile.

“We’re not... talking anymore.” His eyes lowered for a second but returned with resolve.

“Oh, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to...”

 _ **I need to talk to you alone.**_  He grabbed his hand and pulled him behind the swinging doors. She and Connor waited outside but he could still pick up what was being said. 

“Simon, I have been slowly drifting apart from her for months but I think I know why now. I can’t believe I’ve kept you waiting so long.”

“What do you-!” 

In between the crack of the doors, Connor witnessed Markus yanked Simon into a full on passion session of kissing and touching. The internal scream Simon emitted through the electronic waves made his sensitive lover clutch her ears. Some point during the action, Simon’s confused touch gripped his friend's sleeves but by then Markus broke off leaving him dumbfounded.

“Whoa. What just.” He swayed a bit to the side then he snapped into focus. “Did you...What was that?”

Markus chuckled unfazed by his zealous actions. "That was what I should have done a year ago.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew! What a chapter. I'm exhausted but this was a lot of fun to write. I hope people who like North won't be too annoyed by how this chapter went but I really feel like pacifist Markus wouldn't last with her. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and I'll see you Wednesday. Thanks for reading!


	8. Broken and Repaired

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This contains heavy topics including depression and physical loss but it is also filled with overcoming such losses.
> 
>  

 

This was the fourth morning in a row he woke up to the sound of crying since she lost her left hand. The accident was so sudden. He felt full bodied terror when he received the urgent message from the hospital. He was at work when he got the call and apparently he dropped all the files onto floor from the shock. Hank later told him it even startled Gavin and he was across the room. It’s been ten days since the event that resulted in amputation and her declining mental health. Days at the hospital dragged on for too long but even being back in their home didn’t comfort her. 

When he opened his eyes, her body had traveled to the other side of the bed and was curled up in a tight ball. It hurt watching her go through this every morning, every night, and every time she glanced at her arm. He slid close enough to reach her shoulder and her sobbing stopped. Not because he made her feel better, though he dearly wished it did, but from embarrassment. 

“Love.” He dragged her body flush against his chest. She was trying so hard to control herself but her chest jumped from each spasm. He placed a kiss on her shoulder. She no longer greeted him in the morning anymore so he took it upon himself to initiate it now. “Good morning.” 

Her response was a dull hum. 

“Come here. Please stop crying.” He rolled her over as she attempted to hide her face with the only hand she trusted while the other remained slumped behind. The lines streaked across her cheeks from a tormented mind. He pried her fingers away leaving her blinking away her tears. She glanced at him for a second before closing again twisted in pain. “Shhh, it’s okay.” He pulled her into a nurturing embrace but only one of her hands participated. He slid his over her shoulder to the abandoned side and followed down to find the end of her wrist. 

She jerked away. “Don’t.” 

He continued anyway. “I need to check the bandage besides I want to feel all of you.” He analyzed the wrapping before placing her around him. By then, her tears started full effect again but he kept her steady. “You’re going to be fine.” 

“I will never be fine!” She yelled into his chest. 

“Shhh, relax. I’m right here.” The sounds she poured into him grated against his very being. He wasn’t sure how much enduring it would take for her to stop fighting and accept her disability. He only hoped it was soon. 

After a while, she simmered down and eased into his caresses. He sat up and began the process of changing and sanitizing her arm. As usual, she refused to acknowledge the act and stared at the wall. 

“I discovered a new joke yesterday. Did you hear what happened to the psychic dwarf who escaped from prison?” He did wait for her to say something but he decided to press on. “He’s now a small medium at large.” He chuckled as an invitation for her to join him but she didn’t. His fake laugh died into silence. “I must have said it wrong. I’ll work on my delivery next time.” He could have sworn he spotted the faintest of smiles mold into her lips.

He assembled the supplies from his drawer to clean it up. With a damp rag, he wiped the stitches and examined the damage. It was healing rather well. 

“You might not need bandages for much longer.” He carefully touched the scarred tissue. She twitched and ripped her arm out of his grip.

“I rather it be covered.” 

“Okay. I’m sure we can find something you’ll like.” Her stubborn eyes were fixed to the sheets while he finished up. “You should see how well it’s healing. It’s doing a lot better.”

“No.”

“Why?”

“It’s ugly.”

“If it’s part of you, then how can it be ugly?” 

She was silent for a good while before she lashed back. 

“Just say it.” 

“Say what?” 

“I’m broken! That I’m an idiot to have lost it in the first place!”

“Stop it! You were in an uncontrollable situation! Your body did what it thought was right! I don’t ever want to hear you say that again!”

And suddenly all the venom in her voice shriveled up and she broke down into a curled up circle in the sheets. 

“I’m not going to listen to this nonsense of beating yourself up!” His hands gripped the sides of his head. She had been trying to give him excuses to hate her but he couldn’t. She wanted him to leave her but he wouldn’t. No matter how much she pushed him away, he would always return. He felt this promise deep within his soul and he was going to keep it no matter how much it hurt him.

Out of her convulsive crying, she managed to mumble something. “Please leave me alone.” He began to form the next sentence in his head but then saw how hopeless she had become. Instead, he took a deep breath and cooled down.

“I’m going to head to work now but I made you some leftovers. You didn’t finish yesterday’s dinner so I prepped it for today. You should eat the  _whole_ container. It doesn’t have to be in one setting just...” His voice broke when she turned away from his touch. She looked so small in that bed alone. “Please eat it and don’t forget your pills in the drawer.”

He could go on forever down the list and he would still be anxious leaving her behind in this empty house. He leaned over and kissed her head. “Please, for me.” Her puffy eyes had one last look at him before he left. 

Tiny legs scurried to him as he approached the front door. The only one still happy in this household. He patted Bunnybutt on the back while he closed the door shut. “Take care of her for me, okay?” He sighed and headed to the station.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

He was staring at the computer screen while typing up reports with Hank. Each time he checked the clock, he groaned. The nagging in his brain wouldn’t stop.  Some tasks were impossible for her now but he didn’t mind performing them. It was the little thoughts that made it harder to focus. She would have to get used to living life on her own. He can’t be there all the time. This was her moment to adapt to her situation and he knew she could do it but... The clock barely moved. He rubbed his face again.

“Connor, you sure you’re up to this? You look like shit.”

“I’m sorry, Lieutenant. I have a lot on my mind right now but I’ll focus.”

“Hey, don’t go calling me that. You don’t have to be all formal on me because we’re at work. What’s bothering you, son? It’s the miss isn’t it? How is she?” 

“Better, she’s back from the hospital but its taken a lot out of her. She’s completely miserable. She gets phantom pains and has such a long list of medications to take every day just to make her feel comfortable in her own body.” 

“What are ya doin’ here then? Sounds like she needs ya more than I do.” Go home? He was just as useless there as he was here. Her own family had come by to visit and left with the same defeated expression. They occasionally sent him heartfelt messages about how grateful they were to have him but it was not enough. His chest constricted as he tried suppressing the crushing weight in his mind.

“Hank, I can’t I... She needs to be okay with herself first besides I used every personal day I had left besides our...” He shook his head. No. He couldn’t take that away. Even though their relationship was difficult right now, he wasn’t giving up and neither was she. Right? His chest throbbed as his eyes shut. He wiped his face with his arm but Hank had already jumped out of his chair. 

“Hey, hey there! Walk with me, alright?” Hank helped him up and escorted him to a closed office to talk in private. His embrace was caught him off guard but it was the most comforting touch he had all week. It felt cathartic to squeeze back. “What happened out there?” Hank straightened Connor up but he was still a blubbering mess. 

“Dad, I can’t help her. She’s in so much pain all the time and all I do is watch her suffer. What can I say that her family hasn’t already? I’m so hopeless! I love her but I can’t figure out how to...” His fingers raked through his hair and swung them to his sides. “I don’t know!” 

“Connor! Take a breath.” He used this moment for his body to cool from its meltdown. He nodded once he was ready then hank gripped his shoulders. “Okay. Start from the top. What happened?”  

“She hates herself because she lost her hand. She could’ve lost so much more but everything I say to her has no effect. I haven’t seen her smile or laugh in days. She’s just... cold.” He was beginning to think he would never see her happy again. God, what happened to that same person who found any excuse to laugh.

“I think what you’re dealing with is more than a terrible accident. Unlike androids, losing a hand is a big deal.” Hank sat upon the desk with his hands folded neatly.

“Yes but she’s alive! She is still herself.” 

“Yeah, but now her independence has been taken from her. Reality is painful and hers falls onto the ones she doesn’t want to burden.” Hank scooted off the desk while the android paced back and forth.

“Where are you getting all this from?” 

“I understand it because I lived it, Connor. Don’t you remember? I had a few more years to add to my depression but hers is just starting. You can reverse it.”

“I don’t understand. How?” 

“You’re actually annoyingly good at it.” He laughed. “Remind her what she is living for. Why she’s important to you or sometimes just listening helps. All of that. If she can get out of that negative cycle of thinking, then she can keep it away.”

He mulled it over in his head for a moment. Her independence. Maybe, he could give that back to her in a sense. His father pulled him into another hug and Connor felt at peace being able to close his eyes and fully give in. “You’ll find the right words. I know you will. No matter how hard life got for me, I knew I could depend on you just like she does. But if you need anything, just say the word, okay? Anything at all.” And with one hearty squeeze he let him go. 

Connor’s pump regulator returned to a healthy rhythm and he wiped the remaining tears off his face. “Thank you.” 

Hank rubbed his shoulder guiding him back to the main lobby. “It’s what I’m here for and when you see her, tell her I’ll come by to visit.” 

“I will.” He nodded.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

Connor had decided to stay at the station so he could forget his worries for a few hours and after making an important call to his friends, he was ready to handle tonight. 

He opened the front door to their home and took off his shoes. It was then that he noticed something shining in the living room. He bent down and picked it off the floor. It was fine pieces of fractured glass but the movement of the spread implied that she tried to clean it up. He wiped his fingers along the floorboards and tested it. It was the leftovers. She must have dropped the bowl and it shattered onto the ground. He would’ve accepted that but his scan revealed splash marks on the wall as well. So she was cleaning but then threw the rag? 

There was one way to get a definite answer but first things first. He removed the fine grains of glass and dumped them into the trash. He sighed when he found the food in the fridge had been undisturbed. She didn’t eat after that, did she? He was closing the door when he noticed the jar of caramel was toppled over. The same one she put on ice cream. She must have struggled opening it or was too frustrated to continue. He picked up the jar and examined the horrible list of ingredients. This would be a good time to bend some house rules.

She used to stash tubs of ice cream from him. He had almost forgotten that he had some hidden otherwise she would always eat it without a second thought. One time, he even put a lock on the lid as a ridiculous message but she ripped the bottom off instead. There was no stopping her sweet tooth.

His smile widened as he uncovered the spare cookie dough ice cream and grabbed the whipped cream along with the chocolate syrup. Balancing each on top of each other, he carried it to their bedroom. She was sound asleep with the dim TV that paused at the end her movie. Her hair was wet from the shower and her hand was resting on his dog’s flopped head. He knew he picked the right animal when he saw those big lovable eyes. The bowl scrapped against the night table by accident and triggered them awake.

Her wild hair stuck to her face as she rose up. “You’re home already? What time is it?” 

“It’s 6, dear.” Her face shifted into a somber expression. 

“Oh.” 

Bunnybutt sprinted out of her lap and leaped into his arms. “I missed you too, buddy!” He tossed him onto the bed running circles into the sheets. Her eyes wandered over to watch them goof off. She often compared him to the corgi but he was nowhere near that energetic. The corner of her mouth lifted. He definitely saw it that time before her attention went towards the stack of toppings. 

“What’s that?” She rubbed her eyes.

“It’s ice cream.” Her eyes snapped open and her back went straight. 

“I swear I wasn’t hiding that from you!” He wanted her to be excited so why didn’t she understand he brought it for her to enjoy? And what did ‘wasn’t hiding that’ implied? 

“Honestly, I’m surprised. As tenacious as you are, you didn’t find it sooner.” She glanced at the bowl then the tub then to him still not fully grasping it. “You love ice cream.” He reminded her.

“Yeah but I thought I wasn’t suppose to have ice cream in the house.” 

“This is an extreme exception. You’re going to eat something and I don’t care what anymore. Hold this.” He tossed the bowl over to her and she fumbled to catch it. 

“I really was going to eat lunch. I didn’t lie to you!” Why was she so sure he was punishing her? He scooped out three spheres and dropped it in her bowl. She was acting like this was torture. “No, I don’t want it. I didn’t mean to drop the bowl. I tried. I really did.” She returned the bowl to him growing more frantic. He placed it in her lap and when she went to move it again, his hands held her still.

“Honey, I know. I believe you.” He chuckled. “It’s okay to like ice cream again. I want to treat you tonight.”

After scooting Bunnybutt away, he poured an excessive amount of chocolate syrup into her ice cream until it turned into a soup just like she used to do. He then shook the can of whipped cream and made a grand swirl even bigger than the bowl. 

“What are you doing? It’s not even ice cream anymore. Its just fluff!” A slight chuckle came from her. His eyes raced over to catch her mid laugh and he felt a surge of energy swell up inside him. She held it up noticing it leaked over the rim. “Connor! It’s getting on the bed!”

“Open your mouth.” He shook the can again but her eyes questioned him.

“What? No, you wouldn’t! Don’t you dare ruin the bed sheets! What’s gotten into you?”

“Say ‘Ahh’.” He opened his mouth expecting her to follow his example but she crossed her arms. 

“You’re completely bonkers.” He then sprayed a bit on her causing her to jump backwards. “AH! What are you doing?!” She wiped it off her chin.

“See, it’s not so hard.” He leaned over and slid the bowl aside. She crawled across the mattress to escape his spraying attacks. He covered so much from her neck and up that she had trouble seeing. It was only fair to give her a few seconds to find her eyes but after that he knocked her onto the mattress.

“Oh god, it’s everywhere! Pfft.” She shouted and then smeared some onto his face in revenge. He lathered his hand up but before he could retaliate she smashed it sending foam flinging across the room at high velocity. Her laughter pitched higher the wilder they fought. His heart pounded when he saw how giddy and playful she was. It was like she had returned for only a moment. Her smile died when she went to grab his face with both of her hands. Reality dragged her back down. She was holding in tears and covered her eyes with her only hand. He hurriedly cleaned her face to read her expression.

“Hey, honey, what happened? Look at me.” Her teary eyes blinked open. 

“I just... I just wanted to hold you with  _both_ of my hands again but I can’t now. I will never feel that again.” Oh no, no, no. Not again. He scooped her up into a tight hug. 

“Please don’t cry. Please. Life will get better, I promise.” He listened to her take deep breaths. Each one becoming calmer than the last. 

“I keep thinking one day I’ll wake up and I’ll be normal again. How can only a few seconds change a whole life? I can still feel my fingers move but there’s nothing there anymore. It’s gone. I miss it so much, Connor.”

“I miss you, love.” He buried his face into the crook of her neck and her hand wrapped around to hold him.

“I know and I’m so sorry. It’s so hard to go back and be happy and you’ve been dealing with me by yourself and...!”

“Shhh. It’s alright.” He felt her head nuzzle into him as he combed through her hair. “We’ll get through this. Like we always do. Together.”

"I'm so sorry for putting you through this." Her fingers dug into him a little more. "I'm so sorry." He could feel her breath shaking in his arms as he caressed the back of her head. Her voice was getting weaker each time she spoke. "I'm so sorry." 

"It's okay." He gathered her face to look directly at him. "I forgive you." Her eyes welled up and she plunged back into his arms desperate to cling to him again.

“I don’t know what I’d do without you.” She whispered.

“Invest in squeeze jars.” He heard her gasp along with a sharp slap on his shoulder. 

“Ass! That was rhetorical!” It got her to chuckle at least. He pulled away to graze her cheek.

“A complete ass.” He smiled when he felt her familiar touch stroke his hand.

“No, just a little bit of ass.” She smiled as he sat and thought about that sentence. She took another heavy sigh. “I don’t know how long l can keep avoiding work. Eventually, I will have to explain my...” She couldn’t bring herself to say it. 

“There’s no need. I’ve already informed them. In fact, they wish to help your situation.” She wiggled out of his grasp and perked upright. 

“You TOLD them! I didn’t want anyone to know yet! I just started working there. I can’t-” 

“I needed to reach out to them! Hear me out. Next week, we will go together and try out one of their prosthetic models. They want you to come back and are more than willing to help in any way they can. I will be with you the whole time so come with me Saturday.” He continued clearing the cream off her face then after some thought, she nodded.

“Okay... okay.” She gave in. 

“Thank you.” He brought both her hand and her other wrist to his lips and gave them equal affection. The details of her physical form never concerned him. Her well being was all that really mattered to him. She closed her eyes and breathed out her stress until the sound of sloppy bites reminded him of the ice cream.

“Oh, Bunnybutt!” Connor scolded. 

“Oh, no.” 

“He ate the ice cream. The whole thing! How did he eat it that fast!” He picked up the chubby dog and place him in the bathroom to clean later. She followed him to hallway watching the scene play out.

“He’s either going to vomit or have diarrhea in a few hours and I do not want to add to this mess.” She extended her arms pointing around to herself and the whole room. 

“I’ll take care of him later. I’m going to see if I can find anything else for  _you_ to eat.” He descended off of the edge of the stairs and only stopped when he heard her call his name. 

“Connor.” She held her wrist and looked at him like he was gone for months. “I love you.” The sound made his heart ache from the sweetness. He raced back up the stairs just to peck her cheek but she redirected him into a proper kiss. Her lips pressed all the soft thank yous that guilt had been holding back. Her fingers retraced their path through his hair while her other arm struggled to find a prefect spot. His hand tucked it in between them and tight against his heart. He melted under her delicate touches. Each one reminded him what it felt to be alive with her. 

His lips parted from her. “I love you, too.” She pecked his mouth again. Barely a five. Not nearly enough for him.

“You know, uh...” She started but he captured her lips again. He kissed the other side of her mouth not quite satisfied ending it here. He raised her to a 12.

“What?” He whispered between breaks. The kiss lasted significantly longer then finally they twisted their lips apart at 18.

“I know where there’s more ice cream. I can go get it myself if you want to wash B.B.” He backed up.

“Wait, there’s still more?! Where?” 

“I’m not going to tell you, ice cream thief!” She laughed. 

 

This was the first night in a long week she went to bed snuggled up to him content. 

The following day was even easier. Then the next day, she ventured outside to walk in the park. Each day, she became accustomed to life and the days passed with greater improvement until Saturday arrived. 

Her coworkers welcomed her back to the facility and they began work to recreating her hand. It was fortunate that the hospital had taken X-rays of it before it was removed and served as a reference for her new prosthetic. She was doing well until they had to remove the bandages.

“Do we have to take them off? I mean, its not healed yet, right? We shouldn’t disturb it.” Her eyes kept darting around the room and all the staff. Connor smiled to her then gained Josh’s attention. 

“Could we have a moment alone while we test it?” He asked. Josh gave him a nod and handed him the screen. 

“Of course, you can adjust the settings on here. I’ll be right next door if you need me.” He smiled then gently closed the door behind him. Connor returned his focus to her. She was rubbing her arm not quite ready for the next stage. He gathered her wrist into his hands. 

“Nervous?” 

“A little. I’m excited but I don’t know how I feel about all this. Or me.” He tugged the end of the strip and unraveled her forearm until there was only her bare skin left. He smoothed his hand over the whole surface then the pace of her breathing began to spike. Her eyes pinched shut.

“I think it’s going to start again. The phantom pain. I think it’s coming.” Her shoulders scrunched up to her ears preparing for the worst. He gradually pressed her shoulders back down.

“The doctor said to keep your shoulders relaxed to reduce pain. It compresses the nerves.” He scooted his chair closer to hers and continued stroking her arm to the end. “There is nothing to feel. Don’t let your brain trick you. You control your body not the other way around.” Her lips pressed together as she nodded to him. After a few minutes of breathing and arm exercises, she relaxed into the chair. 

“Do you want to try your new hand?” She studied the glossy model that was constructed in the same fashion as androids. The same hinges and flexibility humans were capable of. “I asked for the KL900 as a base model.” 

“The same one with the future vision?” She asked. He chuckled thinking that was the only part she remembered out of that whole night. 

“I thought, what if somehow you could receive some of her abilities? Who knows?” He shrugged as he opened the fasteners. 

“That would almost make this worth it. Almost.” She let out a puff of air before sliding it into position. Once he clipped it on snug, she was already moving it. “Oh geez.” She pinned it onto her leg. The skin tone shifted to match hers and for a moment, she was normal.

“There are electric waves continuously connecting with the same muscles you would use. So you can pick this up just like you would before.” He held out a bottle and her face made all sorts of odd expressions trying to get the hand to respond. It clamped closed then stuttered when it opened back up.

“It’s pretty hard to open it.” 

“Your muscles might have weakened but if you keep excising, it will become easier.” She pinched her tongue between her lips and then the middle finger extended. 

“Oh, good. I still got that going for me.” She cackled at her own achievement.

“Of course. That’s the first thing you do.” He wanted to slap her hand right off. “Focus, dear.” He held the bottle upright and she lifted her arm. The fingers hovered around the bottle for a few seconds then crunched it shut. “Easy.” 

“Sorry, some movements are trickier than others. I can’t quite...” Her brows pressed lower and tighter until finally it dropped onto the counter. She released a breath of air like it was a mental workout. 

“Let me see it.” He said. She extended her hand palm up and he held it between his. The skin reacted to him and dissolved the illusion glowing in a blue light. Her hand bolt out of his grip. 

“F-ah! What was that?!” She held her new hand to her chest.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know it could receive information. That shouldn’t have hurt.”

“It didn’t but that was weird. I kinda felt an electrical pulse or something.” 

“Huh, that is odd. Let me try again.” He held out his hands.

She laughed. “No! Experiment with it when I’m not attached to it.” Both of them shifted focus when Josh knocked on the door. 

“Come in.” He said. Josh pulled up the terminal and the data scrolled down the page.

“How’s it going?”Josh asked.

“Ah, wait for it.” She strained for a moment then managed to raise her thumb. Josh was easy to give into laughter. 

“Very nice. Is there any pain from the holder?”

“No, it feels fine.” 

“Well, if that’s the case then you’re free to try it out. We can make adjustments later when you get used to it.” He went for a left handed shake to test her grip and she almost looked natural doing it. 

“Thank you so much for making this. I can’t tell you how much this is going to affect my life.”

“You’re welcome but you should really thank him for getting this together. He helped a lot to get this running up to speed.” She turned to him with a new confidence restored in her eyes. 

“Thank you.” 

“I’m happy you’re able to use it.” She stared at him trying to think of something to say when Josh moved his hand. 

“Let go of my hand, please.” 

“OH! Sorry. It’s actually a bit of a challenge opening my grip. Hang on, I’ll get it.” 

This victory meant everything for her and the world to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! I hope this chapter has brought more positive feelings than sad ones but I wanted to show a side that isn't always easy going. You don't really know a person until you see them at their breaking point and I wanted this to only strengthen their commitment. At least, that's what I like about relationships and overcoming loss really inspires me. I hope it inspires you too if you have your own personal struggles. Thank you for reading even when it isn't always cheerful. I appreciate it! See you Wednesday! Hugs!


	9. Your Hand to Hold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shopping for wedding rings and spending a nice evening together with Hank.

“Allow me.” Connor hastened his steps to hold the door open to the jewelry store.

“Connor, its okay to let me get the door for you sometimes.” She chuckled. 

“I arrived first. It’s only fair.” He was testing out some examples he found in that etiquette book  _How to Be A Gentleman Part One_ and he was excelling. At this rate he would have no trouble at their wedding.

“It’s not a race but thank you.” She smiled and entered.

“Welcome! Is there anything I can help you with?” A woman in a collared blouse and pencil skirt greeted them from behind the counter of dazzling collections of necklaces, bracelets, and rings. The day had finally came to collect one of the last pieces for the wedding. He didn’t realize until after that he proposed out of order. Ring first, then ask the question but he was correcting it now. 

“Yes, we wanted to look at some rings.” He walked up to the counter as she tagged along behind him. 

“Oh, are you two engaged?” The jeweler asked.

She blushed and averted her eyes so he replied. “We are.”

“Come this way. This selection has an array of engagement rings along with wedding bands. Or perhaps you already have something in mind?” His eyes widened when he analyzed the prices. This was an expense he already knew about but seeing it first hand was intimidating. 

“Um, no. I’ve never wore a ring like this before.” She said and stood by his side playing with her fingers.

“Do you know your ring sizes?” 

“My finger dimension is 18.9mm in diameter.” She blinked rather rapidly and then picked up a sizing chart. His fiancee interjected into the conversation.

“I don’t.” 

“Oh, that’s not a problem. It’s easy to figure out ring sizes. Let’s try a size 7 and go from there.” 

While they tried out each ring, he perused all the various styles and types. Which one would she like? Probably nothing flashy. Maybe more modest? She always wore silver but she loved rose gold. There were so many different cuts and colors that he almost forgot he would be getting one too. 

His eyes latched onto a two toned black and blue wedding band. On the outside it was black with a stripe of royal blue and then on the inside it had that same blue flashing through. The jeweler noticed his prolonged gaze and fetched the box to place it on top of the glass counter. 

“Would you like to see it?” 

“Yes, thank you.” He held it between his fingers and broke down the material composition. **Tungsten with pieces of titanium.**   **Colored in black but may fade over time. May need re-plated.**  He placed it into its holder and selected the one beside it that had the same design.  **Ceramic. Lightweight and naturally colored. Harder than most metals. If scratched can be corrected.**

“I like this one.” He raised it for her to see and his fiancee drew closer. 

“Oooh, put it on.” She peered over in awe. He complied to her request then she rotated his hand to admire it. His skin shifted to white under her touch and she was stunned. “Wow, that really pops on you hand. It looks so sleek.” He smiled at how much attention his hand was receiving. Since it pleased both of them, he decided to place it on the counter.

“It fits nicely. I would like to keep this one.” 

“Wonderful, I’ll set it aside for now. Please continue browsing in the meantime. Women’s rings are on the right.” She turned to set the ring into a velvety box and gathered the paperwork for it. He noticed his lover’s reluctance as she refused to touch any surface. Her head whipped up to him and she whispered.

“Not gonna lie, I feel really nervous about all this. This is way too much! There’s so freakin’ much!” 

While he was reassuring her, Connor noticed that another customer spotted his LED and was hiding their stare from him. He decided to ignore it.

“Typically, the person who is proposing should spend 1,000 to 5,000 dollars on an engagement ring. It is a symbol of dedication towards our relationship especially if you’re going to be wearing it everyday. You should be happy looking at it so don’t worry about the price. This is a gift for you.” Her smile melted his heart.

“I don’t want to break the bank though.” More of her colorful phrases. 

“I don’t like breaking banks either. You know, being in law enforcement and all.”

“You know what I mean!” She teased his arm with a tiny slap.

“You sure? This is a one time offer.” Their conversation ended when the assistant returned to the counter. 

“Did anything spark your interest?” 

“Uhh, sorry, I’m just overwhelmed by how much there is. I’ve never had to make this kind of decision.”

She nodded along and pulled out another box set of rings. “Let’s start with the wedding band first then. Here are some classic designs.”

She tried on the wedding band and her fingers turned white by accident. She wanted to hide her hand but he held it in place as they shared eye contact. There was no need to feel embarrassed anymore. 

“It’s so great seeing androids getting married.”

“Oh no, I’m not an...” She paused then stared at her hand.

“She’s human.” He corrected. He reaffirmed this fact more to her than the jeweler. This didn’t change who she was and he would prove that to her until one day she didn’t feel the need to hide herself anymore.

“Oh, excuse me. It’s a happy occasion regardless. When’s the big day?”

“In two months. Umm, this ring feels pretty comfortable. I think I might go with this.”

While they chatted, he came across a collection of moonstone. She was drawn to that at the museum and he recalled its symbolism of intuition and dreams. His memory flashed back to their first kiss. _‘This still feels like a dream to me.’_ He remembered how delicate her words were. A dream. It still did feel like a dream. He smiled and plucked it from its holder.

“What do you think of moonstone?” He presented it to her.

“It’s not a traditional kind of ring...”

“Oh, sorry. I thought it was your favorite gemstone. I suppose diamonds are more practical due to their durability and longevity-” She touched his hand before he had a chance to put it back.

“Who said it can’t be different?” She took it out of his palm and it slid loose onto her finger. “How’s it look?” It looked like pure ice with its graceful curves. He was attracted to the way it fit on her natural hand. He held both of them together and it match both natural and synthetic skin tones should she alternate. A smiled appeared on her face while he was evaluating and his eyes connected with hers once he came to a conclusion. “It’s lovely.” 

“I think so too. Plus, it’s hard to say ‘no’ to a face like that.” She placed it onto the counter and the assistant tallied together the total. He compromised by letting her buy his wedding band while he paid for the rest. He didn’t even dare mention the price to her and hid the receipt in his pocket.

“The engagement ring should be finished in about three weeks. We’ll contact you when its ready to be picked up.” 

“Thank you.” He carried the bag with their wedding bands and papers then turned to leave.

“Congratulations!” She said as they left. The both of them walked out of the store still jittery from either the rush of receiving their rings or the enormous amount of money they just spent. They decided to start strolling down the sidewalk as they made their way over to the main road. 

“Where did you get all that extra money?” She asked.

“Dog sitting. Oh, and since we’re talking about dogs, we need to talk about this little guy.” He whipped out a picture of a greyhound.

“He’s going to need a lot of running space, dear.”

“You don’t understand honey, once he is done excising, he is so loving and mellow. Bunnybutt needs a friend.” After a disproving shake, he scrolled to the next picture.

“Alright, how about this one?”

“How many animals are we going to get, babe? No more animals than we have arms to pick them up with, okay?”

“ _So_ you agree the limit is four then?” He watched her expression turn into bright smile with a peek of teeth showing.

“I really hope our house doesn’t become a full on animal shelter.”

“Why do you say that like it’s a bad thing?” He paused for a few seconds then she laughed at him. 

“Are you sure you’re not actually designed to be a vet?” 

“Ah, I truly missed my calling.” Connor looped his arm through hers and guided her around the corner.

“There’s always time to change careers.”

“Oh no, I’m not being serious. I love dogs but I still enjoy working at the DPD. My skills are too finely tuned for that profession. It would be a waste of my talent if I left to be a mediocre vet.” 

“Just because you're great at detective work, doesn't mean you can’t do what you love. You’re acting like you’re too old to change but you’re only one and a half years old. Anything is possible.”

“Hmm... Maybe, I’ll keep dog sitting. It is rather fun.” She stopped for a moment to check the time then looked to him.

“We should head home before Hank comes over. There’s still a lot of cooking and cleaning to be done at the house.”  

“Alright, let’s head home then.” 

 

* * *

 

 

 

“Hank isn’t coming over for another three hours. Why are you setting up the table?” Connor asked as she smoothed out the wrinkles on the placemats.

“Well, you see, it’s one less thing I have to do later. The roast is still in the slow cooker and by the time I peel potatoes and boiled them, he will be arriving.” Connor was pretty sure it did not take three hours to make mashed potatoes. He reach out for her hand as she was setting the coasters down and tucked the wild strands of hair behind her ear. 

“There’s no need to fret, darling. He’s going to love your cooking. Anything homemade will taste miles better compared to the multiple health violations dive he frequents.” Her head tilted at him like she wasn’t sure how to interpret that compliment. 

“Um, thanks?”

“You are very welcome.” After a brief laugh, She continued on and was pulling up a recipe on her phone when he heard an audible sigh. He peered over her shoulder to understand what dampened her mood and it was the last photo she had taken with both of her hands in the picture about half an hour before the accident occurred. She gazed at her left hand releasing and closing her grip with more finesse than the initial test. He pressed a comforting kiss into her shoulder and drew her back against his chest. She sighed again.

“I know, it’s just hard to forget sometimes.” Her hand rested on top of his. 

“You’re still human no matter what people mistake you as.” 

“Do you ever wish you were born human?” Her voice was faint as she continued staring at the photo. He settled his chin on her shoulder and reflected upon the question.

“No. I am what I am but it’s possible I can’t miss what I never had either.” 

“If it means anything to you...” Her face turned closer to his. “I feel more comfortable being human with you than other humans. When I first met you, I was so sure you disapproved of me because of my irrational fears and once you figured me out, you would want nothing to do with me.” 

“It was irrational but understandable.” His other hand gripped her hip as he placed his cheek onto her warm skin. “Back then, why did you fall in love with me? I wasn’t funny or very good at conversations but that didn’t turn you away.” His eyes connected to hers. “Why?” She smiled and turned around in his arms. 

“You were so compassionate. Well, still are.” Her hands cupped around his neck and her thumbs rubbed soothing lines along the strands of muscles. “You never gave up on me even when I did and because of that, I’ve learned to cope with my problems. There are no words I could ever say to thank you enough for what you’ve given me.” 

Connor didn’t realize he was crying until she wiped the tears sliding down his cheeks. He gathered her hand closer and kissed her palm. He took in a long breath before he could respond. “And I you.” Ever so gently, she wrapped her arms around him and rested her head onto his chest. He kissed the top of her hair and combed through it. Time didn’t matter to them anymore. To them, time was each exhale, each flex in their arms, and each finger’s trail of caresses. They stood in the middle of the kitchen silent for a couple of minutes just savoring this peaceful moment together.

His eyes roamed over to the two wedding rings sitting on the counter. “Do you wish I proposed differently?” 

Her head shifted into his shirt. “No, it was perfect.” 

“The movies you watch make it a much bigger ordeal. I feel like I missed out on something grand.” Her arms wrapped around his waist and kissed his jaw. 

“How would you have wanted to proposed?” He swayed her side to side then looked to her.

“I think the beach would’ve been nice. Warm and breezy. Just the two of us.” Her fingertips walked up his chest. 

“Watching the sunset over the horizon?”

“Yeah. And when it hits the golden hour I would-” She jumped out of his arms before he could finish.

“Wait! I have an idea. Play along.” He let her lure him into the living room and wondered what she was doing. “Close your eyes real quick.” 

He complied and heard her scurry in and out of the room. With a tap on her phone, she played sounds of waves through the portable speakers. 

“Okay, you can look now.” His eyes opened to the sight of her shirt tied up in a side knot then she threw a yellow cloth onto the lamp casting them in a warm hue. Around his neck and on his head, fake flower necklaces were adorned on him. To top it all off, she pointed to the TV screen which showed the sun inching lower into the sea. 

“We should do staycations more often.” He said. She whipped a beach towel onto the carpet and patted the spot next to her. He chuckled as he sat down indulging in the fantasy. Bunnybutt saw this opportunity and toppled over their legs begging for attention.

“The whole crew is here to bask in the sun!” She tugged at the toy in his mouth wiggling side to side. The stuffed animal ripped in half along with his excitement. That’s when he jumped onto his lap and tore the necklace off into pieces. 

“B.B!” She yelled in surprise and lunged to reclaim it. His stubby legs sprinted up the stairs and into their room before dashing back down again. “What a little monster!” Connor lifted the crown off his head and placed it onto hers instead. “Huh?” She turned to him looking completely puzzled but she was adorable. He scooted closer to lean against her shoulder. 

“Like I was saying, when the golden hour approaches, I would... um... can you stand up for a moment?” She giggled but did as he asked. “Hold on.” He jogged over to the kitchen counter and picked up the box with her ring. He held it behind his back as he stood in front of her. “I would figure out what to say but uh, here’s a first draft.”

He knelt in front of her and looked up to her bashful expression. “Love, I never want to leave your side. Say you’ll be mine, forever. Will you marry me?” He opened the box presenting the wedding band and her hand raised up to cover her huge smile.

“Oh, Connor!” She pretended to be shocked despite her wide grin. “Of course!” She extended her left hand and he slid the ring onto her finger. His hand connected with the components shifting her hand’s appearance to white. Her fingers brushed against his missing his tender touch.

“Are you doing that?” She asked still staring at her foreign skin.

“Some of the time but I think you have some control whether or not it happens. Perhaps you’re more receptive when you feel synced to me.” He kissed her knuckles spreading the blue light even higher. 

“I still wish I could feel it.” She confessed.

He took her other hand and repeated the same affection. She hummed quite pleased with his actions. The trail of kisses followed up her arm, over her ticklish shoulders, then climbed her neck reaching his final destination, her mouth. The hunger in her kisses raised to the level 19 and her body grazed along his. The ambient sound from the TV transitioned into structured music and she placed his hand around her back then held his shoulder. 

“Care for a dance?” She shifted her weight between each foot. 

“I  _should_ make time for some practice.” He adjusted his grip and followed after her steps. He recalled this two step sway movement. It was comfortable but terribly basic considering how adept she was. 

“This is too easy for you. How about another style?” 

“Did you have something in mind or do you just want an excuse to twerk again?” 

“I’ll have you know Hank did not appreciate that! You said I wouldn’t get in trouble!” 

“Haha, I’m sorry, dear. I thought he would find it fun- wha!-” Connor dipped her mid sentence causing her to cling onto him for dear life.

“I have downloaded six forms of dancing for the occasion. Unfortunately, none of them involve that.” He lifted her up and spun her out to the end of his hand. Without any guidance, she wrapped herself back into his arms like she was magnetically drawn to him.

“Maybe after the first dance then.” She chuckled wiggling in his hold.

“Foxtrot seems more my style but how do you feel about rumba?” He raised her arm above her head and skimmed down her skin with his fingertips then deliberately inched closer to her lips just to pull away at the last second. She released a hot puff of air and her eyes avoided his lingering gaze. 

“That’s too much. Your dad is gonna be there!” He ignored her and continued down the side of her chest enjoying each twitch that shied away from his touch. 

“He doesn’t care about that.”

“ _My_ dad will also be there.” He paused.

“Hmm. Good point.” She giggled and slipped out of his grasp. 

“We’ll figure it out.” Her hand rested on his shoulder as her fingers twirled his hair. “It still amazes me that next time we dance like this, we’ll be married.” She began to step away and toward the kitchen to start cooking. 

“It can’t come soon enough.” His words brought a smile to her face as she turned the corner.

 

* * *

 

 

 

The time had finally arrived and Hank showed up about 8 minutes late. After taking off his coat and shoes, they all enjoyed dinner together at the table telling stories of how turbulent Hank and Connor were as roommates.

“And Connor used to make horrible meals based on just the nutritional facts. He hid my drinks and used this annoying buzzer every time I went to have a nice relaxing moment.” Hank placed his utensils down on the table and wiped his mouth with a napkin. 

“He did that to me too but with ice cream!” They were ganging up on him, again. 

“Connor! You can’t just treat us like Sumo. We are grown ass people!” Hank demanded. Why not? If it got results, it worked.

“Grown adults should know how to stop overindulging. How much better did you feel after you stopped? You slept better and ate less. How much weight did you lose with me around?” 

“20.” He mumbled. Connor leaned onto the table and placed his hand around his ear. 

“I’m sorry, my audio processor must have glitched. Can you repeat that?”  

“20 pounds.” He bitterly admitted while Connor sat back in his chair victorious. They couldn’t argue with facts. “But why did you make me eat so much broccoli and salads? They taste lousy. The plant probably didn’t want to be eaten anyway.” 

“Well, actually plants are designed to be eaten. You see, the seeds inside-” Connor started recalling facts on evolution when Hank raised his hand to stop him.

“Don’t! Don’t truth bomb me about veggies! It’s already hard enough eating them and learning to like it. I don’t wanna know their dark secrets.”

The three of them chuckled at how Connor always had a way of creeping them out with raw data. Hank was silently watching her cut the roast and placing the piece onto her plate with no struggle at all.

“How does your hand feel?” He asked.

“It’s much better.” She demonstrated it’s fluid reactionary time by raising each finger at a time.

“Shit, I remember when prosthetics were made from flimsy plastic. I can’t even tell the difference now.” 

She smiled and looked over to Connor. “I wouldn’t be able to do this without you.” He couldn’t help the warm tingling in his chest that played with his body’s responses. The smile on his face made Hank reach into his pocket and place an envelope in the center of the table.

“Before I forget, this is for you guys.” 

“Oh Hank, you didn’t have to...” She started but he persisted. 

“Just open it, you lovebirds.” He smiled like he was holding in a secret. She reached over and ripped the seal. His curiosity peaked when she made a distinct inhale followed up by a ‘no way’. She handed it over to him and he tore through the envelope. Inside the card were two tickets to a resort in the Caribbean and Hank was enjoying every second of their amazed reaction. 

“You shouldn’t have. That’s too much.” He said. 

“Stop it, I  _want_ to do this. You both have been through enough this year. It’s about time you forget your problems and just have fun for a while.”

“Hank...” She seemed unsure how to thank him so he did. 

“I can’t believe you did this for us. Thank you. This means a lot to us.” She nodded in agreement. 

“We’re practically family now. Don’t sweat it.” Connor just remembered he already used his time off from work.

“But I already used up my PTO. I can’t leave all that work to you.” Hank raised his hand again.

“Don’t worry about, I got it covered. Tina’s gonna help me while you’re gone. Just do whatever beach bums do, grab me a lame souvenir and enjoy yourselves and I’ll be happy enough.”

“You really are my best man.” He laughed.

“Damn straight.” They raised their glasses and drank to happiness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is the big one so I'm making sure I really nail it. I can't believe I'm almost finished writing this! I'm gonna miss all this and reading all your thoughts and comments! It means a ton to me that you enjoy the ride because I wouldn't have been so motivated without you all. As usual, thanks for reading and see you all Wednesday. <3


	10. The Wedding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The wedding chapter! It is finally ready and I couldn't be more excited to share this with you guys. This is just a big cheesy romance fest so if you're having a long day, unwind with some fluff for fluff's sake.

 

 

“Okay, but what do you think about this?” Connor slicked his hair back and presented himself to Hank who was stuffing his dress shirt into his pants. 

“Hmm, nope. I told ya, your regular hairstyle is fine.” He grabbed his belt off of the hotel’s bed and struggled to find the right notch. 

“Comfort is important, dad. We’re going to be wearing this all day.” He sighed as he silently agreed and slid it to a looser notch. 

“Should I go as my usual myself or as my true self?” He flipped his appearance between his human skin and android skin. Both appealed to him.

“Go with the usual. You’re shiny face is going to make every bald man jealous.” Connor stared at him as he rubbed the top of his head in concern. “All your photos will have a glare in them, trust me.” 

“Ah, good point.” He tied the bow as neatly as possible when he received a message from her phone. 

**_-I just got the flowers and letter you wrote. You are too adorable and I can’t wait to see you in a few hours future husband! <3_ **

He rubbed his excited hands together while his giddiness took over his thoughts. He wanted to see her right now. All this waiting only made him impatient so he mentally went through the check list to distract himself.

Gift for the bride, already sent. Gift for her family, will be sent. Transportation, check. Everything is on schedule as far as he knew. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Hank come out of the bathroom.

“Oh, look at you! Your hair looks great pulled back. You should do that more often.” 

“As long as its not a man bun.” He mumbled.

“A what?”

“Don’t worry about it.” His smile turned into a bittersweet expression in the span of a few seconds. Connor was beginning to worry when he walked up to pin his boutonniere. Hank’s eyes soaked up his whole figure primped for the occasion and he spoke with a tint of sadness. 

“You’ve grown up so much these past two years. It’s hard to believe that you were an uptight bumbling newborn when I met you. I just want you to know, I’m proud of you, son.” 

Connor hid his face down as a heavy breath escaped but then returned to pin Hank’s flower. “The same could be said of you. I think Cole would’ve been proud of who you’ve become.” 

Hank brought a hand up to wipe his eyes. “Fuckin’ hell, Connor.” He laughed. “You’ve gone mushy making an old man cry.” Hank yanked him into a bear hug. “But thank you.” After a weighty sigh, he let go of him and grabbed his phone. 

“This calls for a picture, for old time’s sake. Sumo! Come here, boy.” Sumo slid off the bed landing with a profound ‘thud’ then they crouched with him between each other. “Ready?” He held out his arm and pressed the button a few times. When he reviewed it, he noticed Sumo's collar was upside down. “Close enough.” The aged man turned around to fix his collar so that the flowers were right side up. 

Connor would’ve loved to bring Bunnybutt but he was way too hyper to walk a straight line but Sumo on the other hand was the perfect candidate.

“You have the rings, dad?” Hank patted three pockets before he found the right one and held it out.

“Yep! All good.”

“It’s about time to head over. Ready to go?”

“Let’s get you married, kid.”

* * *

 

 

Throughout the trip to the countryside, she repeatedly sent messages to his internal receiver about her stressful circumstances. He was sure the customs dictated they  _didn’t_ contact each other until they met at the altar but this was slightly humorous. Especially the unprompted updates.

**-Laura won’t stop plucking my eyebrows! At this rate I’ll have to draw them on!**

**-Tell her I said to stop and that I’ll still love you despite your uneven eyebrows.**

**-Hey!**

He chuckled when the upset emoji appeared. 

“You know you look like a manic when you laugh at nothing.” Connor snapped out of his thoughts. “Is she texting you? She must’ve beat us to the fancy barn already if she’s killing time.” Hank said then enjoyed his early glass of champagne.

“Not quite. There are minor setbacks but she will survive.” Their attention wandered out the window when the car began to cruise up the hill. 

“I kinda forget where the room is. We must’ve came in at a different entrance and no way it’s the drink yet before you get sassy on me.” Hank pointed at him. Connor raised his hands in defense.

“The groom’s private room is downstairs and to the left. I cataloged the map in my head. There’s quite a few people here already.” When they stepped out of the car with Sumo, his friends from work rushed up to greet him. He was trapped between talking to each person and pressing on to the next stage. Thankfully Hank got behind him and starting steering through the crowd. 

“Coming through! We’ll catch up later. Go eat some cheese or somethin’.”

Connor apologized to each person Hank bumped him and Sumo into and with the final push into the room, he locked the door. He slumped against the wood and relaxed. “Reminded me too much of those damn pigeons. Bunch of animals.” 

**Bark! Bark!**

“Obviously not you, boy.” Hank stroked Sumo’s face and adjusted the collar for the second time.

“They’re just excited.” Connor posed himself in front of the floor length mirror and made sure every detail was in perfect alignment. 

“They’re gonna cause a traffic jam. You would think they stop that shit at work but no, gotta chill right next to Hank’s desk!” 

“Well, when you steal the whole box of donuts and place it on your counter, people tend to take some.”

**Knock, knock**

“We don’t want any girl scout cookies.” Hank shouted through the door. 

“Not even a margarita?” Connor recognized the voice. It was Laura’s boyfriend, Tony.

Hank swung open the door, grabbed the glass, then immediately shut it back on his face. The voice was even more pissed.

“Hey, I’m part of the procession, numb nuts!” Hank smirked as he re-opened the door. 

“Yeah, sure. You’re cool, get in.” Hank smacked him on the back as he entered. Tony paused in the middle of the room when he saw Connor turn around. 

“Oh shit, you’re lookin’ classy bro.” 

“Thanks. You too... bro?” 

Tony waved his hand. “Forget about it. Old habit. So, how’s things over here? I couldn’t take the girls side anymore. Needed a breather.” 

“Is it that bad over there?” 

“Ah, nah. Just tons of pictures, hairspray, last minute sewing projects. I had to help your bride down the stairs though.” 

“You didn’t use the elevator?” 

“Yeah, well. It broke. Stood there for like, five minutes wondering if anything was gonna happen. Between Laura holding her train and me making sure she didn’t trip down the stairs, she made it safely. Tell me, is the ground outside wet?” 

“I don’t recall but it did rain last night.” 

“Oh great, now her heels are gonna sink into the floor. I gotta go warn them before I somehow get in trouble.” 

“Wait.” Connor’s urgent voice made Tony face back around with his hand still ready on the door handle. “Send my regards to my bride. Tell her, I can’t wait to see her.” 

Upon hearing the request, Tony’s smile creased into his dimples. “Can do. Oh and uh, I don’t want to spoil anything but she really looks...” He whistled. “You’re gonna be blown away by my hair styling skills.” He swung out of the room and onto the next adventure which left him and Hank some time to relax. Or just Hank. Connor was too busy pacing back and forth rubbing his hands together.

Don’t text her. Don’t text her. Leave her alone. She has to get ready just like you have to get ready. Maybe rehearsing the vows again will help. Connor froze mid stride when she messaged him.

**-I can’t believe this is happening. This is crazy.**

**-Why are you texting me? You should be getting ready to come down the aisle with your father.**

**-I’m so nervous. I feel like I could throw up.**

**-Take deep breaths. You’re going to be fine and soon you will be right beside me.**

**-There are so many people and they’re all going to stare at me as soon as I walk out.**

**-When you open the door, look past them and watch me. Just focus all your attention on walking forward then it will be over before you realize it.**

**-Shit, I got to go.**

**-Okay, Let’s break our legs.**

**-Don’t doom us! You know that’s not how it works!**

He chuckled to himself. Hank hummed when he glanced at his watch which also made Connor double check the time. 

“Time to line up.” His dad grunted as he lifted off the cushy seat and attached Sumo’s leash. “Ready for the big moment?” 

Connor took a deep intake of air as he pondered at his reflection. “Yeah. Been ready for too long.” He took one last look at the man he was and said a silent goodbye. They left the room and walked outside into the procession. He couldn't have asked for better weather. The sun was starting to set over the calm pond and the wind rolled the grass in the distance. A couple of the ducks were out bathing as they walked down the aisle and stood into position. His eyes wandered around at the vast amount of people sitting in chairs. The warmth in their smiles touched him even though his breathing was shaky.  

The music began to play and his fingers gripped the edges of his jacket. He faced away as each pairing escorted the following. He listened to each series of footsteps bringing the next and the next until Hank, Sumo and Laura walked down together. There was only one more remaining when the crowd stood up to turn. He sucked in another breath through his permanent smiling teeth and held it. Hank placed his hand on his elbow letting him know now he could finally see his bride. He turned around and was awestruck.

She was the fairytale children whispered about but he didn’t think he would witness it’s existence. Her embarrassed glances darted around until she laid her eyes on him. His vision zoomed in on her from the sea of people and it was like the world drifted away. The white veil billowed in the wind with each step towards him casting her delicate features in a snowy light. The lace wrapped around her figure like vines reaching the sun and the modest train of her dress glided across the ivory runner. He was overwhelmed by all the intricate beading  details and when he saw her smile with those elated eyes, his lips trembled. No, he wasn’t going to cry despite the wall of emotions that slammed him. Not yet. At least not before her. This was the love of his life making their promise a reality and he still couldn’t believe this was happening to him. 

He wanted nothing more than to sprint down the runway and twirl her around but he stayed put. She was worth suffering every second as her father said his wishes. After hugging his daughter, he handed her to him with a heavy heart but a hopeful smile. Her fingers touched his and instinctively entwined together. There were a few seconds of gawking before they snapped out of it and faced the officiant.

Throughout the whole ceremony, his attention would deviate from the lecture to find another new detail in her beauty. How could anyone focus when she was this ethereal. This idyllic. This radiant. Her eyes spotted his blatant fixation and made her hide her flushed face from him. He squeezed her hand tighter. 

“Connor, if you wish to recite your vows, you may do so now.” 

“Ah! Yes, of course.” He heard her chuckle again as they turned to face each other. Taking both of her hands in his, he spoke like she was going to recall this moment every heartbeat.

”When we first met, there were many things that had little relevance in my life. Traditions, humor, late night binge watching a whole series.” She laughed as she fanned herself. “But there was one virtue even more important that I was missing. I never considered the possibly of falling in love until I met you. That night you set my whole world on fire. There were chaotic emotions I didn’t even know I was capable of feeling but it all made sense when I was with you.” He clasped her hands together. “And I want to be your support for when you struggle and I want to keep this feeling alive forever. I promise to love, honor and cherish you. You’ve given my life so much meaning...and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.” He let out a sigh as if his heart was going to burst. 

“That was so beautiful.” She whispered so gently that he almost didn’t hear it. He tried to hide his blush while she praised his thoughtfulness. 

 Now that it was her turn, he made sure his recording highlighted every second of it. 

“You...” She paused to take a breath while his smile encouraged her to continue. “You are...” Her heart rate was becoming irregular and he was worried she might faint on the altar.

**QUACK.**

Both of their heads peered over to the duck that had wander behind the stage and in a fit of laughter, she buried her face into his chest. All the tension left with the deft timing of one single waterfowl. He whispered a few words of reassurance into her ear.

“It’s okay. I’m right here and you got this.” His hands rubbed hers and drew her focus to him. After a few more deep breaths, she tried again.

“You are my best friend. My inspiration. My joy. My love and now, from today until forever, my husband. You have become the most important person in my life and every day I’m blessed to have your love and compassion.” She was fanning herself harder as she held back tears. Just seeing her overcome with such intense emotions was enough to stir his. “You have given me the courage to be here as I am and I promise to love and care for you like you’ve cared for me. When I think about the future, I’m not scared anymore because I know I will always have you and together we have everything.” Her grip eased once she released all the words into the air. She nodded to the officiant, who then continued on.

“Will you, Connor, take this woman to be your wedded wife?” He almost cut him off to answer.

“I will.” 

“Will you take this man to be your wedded husband?” The smile on her face told him it was equally as easy to answer.

“I will.” 

“May I have the rings, please?”

Hank stepped up to the altar and handed him her wedding band.

“Please repeat after me: I give you this ring, as a daily reminder of my love for you.”

“I give you this ring, as a daily reminder of my love for you.” He held her hand as he took off the engagement ring. In the few moments he switched the rings, her hand shifted over to the smooth white texture and he slid both rings into its proper position. His thumb grazed over the band then up and over the moonstone. It belonged on her finger. 

“And you, please repeat after me: I give you this ring, as a daily reminder of my love for you.”

“I give you this ring, as a daily reminder of my love for you.” He smiled at how much her hands were shaking and eventually she slid the black ring onto his white hand. The blue sparkle peeked through the underside as she placed it home on his finger. The image of both of their hands clasping as they wore each other’s symbol of love was ingrained into his memory.

“By the power of your love and commitment, and the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife! You may kiss each other!” 

They already discussed what number felt appropriate as their first. He lifted the veil over her face then leaned in. They closed their eyes as the space between them disappeared. 

Ten. It was all they needed. The shower of camera flashes weren’t enough to pull his desire away from her lips. Her hands wrapped around his neck as he drew her closer. His heart melted and he never wanted to part from her. For several seconds, they remained still enjoying the feeling of the other’s presence. When they parted, ecstatic cheering welcomed them back into the world. 

“I now present Mr. and Mrs. Anderson!” The roar grew as they walked together as husband and wife leading the procession back to the grand barn.

There wasn’t much time before all the guest poured into the reception area. They all crowded around and divided to their respective friends and family. The barn they rented had vaulted ceilings with dangling lights streaming down and illuminated the ballroom floor below. Once Laura was finished hugging his bride, she picked up the microphone. 

“On behalf of the married couple, we would like to thank you all for joining us for this momentous occasion. I am the bride’s maid of honor, Laura, and I will host us through tonight’s festivities but before we celebrate, let’s have the first dance of the night.” She opened her arms towards both of them and ushered them to the middle of the room. Even though they practiced dancing together, she was stiff from being the center of attention. He held her waist and gathered the other hand in his. Once the music played through the speakers, she was able to move with less tension. They chose to step side by side but tight into each other’s embrace. He leaned down to her ear.

“Feel better?” She rested her head on his shoulder. 

“A lot better. Thank god its over.”

“It’s not over quite yet. You look stunning in that dress by the way.”

“You too.” 

“Oh, would I look good in it as well?” 

She giggled. “You probably would.” 

They were interrupted by the sound of clanging. People were striking their glasses with their silverware. 

“What are they doing?” 

“Oh geez, they’re doing it already. They want us to kiss.” She eased her head up but he was puzzled. She spoke again. “It’s a weird tradition that’s gonna happen a lot. We don’t have to do it if you rather not...” 

He shrugged. “I don’t mind at all.” He leaned down to meet her halfway for a chaste kiss and heard the crowd’s approval when they all clapped. He couldn’t recall a moment in time when a group of people celebrated them kissing before but it was a nice change of pace.

“Any excuse to kiss you in public is always welcomed.” He pecked her lips one more time before resuming to their waltz. Her face turned an even lovelier shade of pink and hid into his shoulder. They stepped to the melody reveling in the temporary calm. The break allowed them the simple warmth of each other’s affection and the longing gazes they were denied during the ceremony. Her face buried into the crook of his neck and sighed.

“You smell so nice.” She whispered as her fingers smoothed down his shoulder. They moved together across the open space occasionally turning to return to the center. It wasn’t long until the song was over and the world engulfed them into the next flurry of events. 

They listened to the many speeches and words of advice from other couples then they moved on to the cake cutting. There were two cakes. One traditional cake and the other specially created for androids to enjoy. He locked their hands together as he brought the thick knife through his cake and then did the same for hers. He held up her piece as per tradition and before she mimicked his actions, a smug grin appeared on her lips.

“Look at this. You feeding me highly processed ‘no nutritional value’ food. I never thought I would see the da-” He mushed the piece of cake right into her face before she could finished the statement. She should have known better than to trust him by now. Her face was in complete shock when she noticed the blue stains on her pure white dress. Shit. He was 85% sure he had pissed her off but instead she swiftly retaliated equally ruining him. The crowd joined them in their laughter as they cleaned off the debris from their hair and face. He even spotted his brother-in-law giving him a thumbs up. His fingertips picked a piece of the icing off of her eyebrow and licked it. 

His face scrunched up even before the analysis. “Oh that is way too much sugar! That’s potentially corrosive!” 

“Speak for yourself!” She licked the icing off her own fingers with an obnoxious ‘pop’. Without even thinking about the audience, he kissed her playful mouth missing her attention. Her hands froze in the air as he backed off to admire his sloppy wife. She grabbed a nearby cloth and wiped her face but he knew there was no need to feel embarrassed. 

“They’re here for us, love. I say, let’s give them something to celebrate.” 

“Who are you today? You’re acting so goofy!” She chuckled into her napkin. Laura decided if anyone was going to serve cake, it would have to be from someone else because they clearly weren’t good hosts. 

“Run off you two. I’ll make sure everyone gets a piece.” Laura took the knife from them like they were children with a dangerous object.

“Have I mentioned you’re the best?” His wife said.

“Well, I am the maid of honor. I worked hard for that title.” Her android friend gave her a joyful smile and bumped her shoulder. 

“I better see you on the dance floor later.” His wife gave her a quick hug. 

“I wouldn’t miss it.” She smiled back. Finally relieved of their duties, they invited everyone to dance but of course someone had to break the ice first because no one was drunk enough yet. Jamie and his wife were the first to jump on board. Connor sauntered up to Hank who was already shaking his head. 

“No, don’t you fuckin’ dare. I have an image to keep.” He set his drink down then swatted at Connor’s hands.

“Oh, I am. You can’t hide from me.” He tugged him up to his feet and dragged him onto the floor despite his complaining. They formed a circle around the center dancing to their own unique styles including Sumo who was just excited to be there. Connor recognized Jamie had some sort of couples dance competition going on. He spun his wife, Angie, a tall dark haired lady then flashed him a boasting smile when he caught her with practiced grace. Connor darted over to his wife who was clowning around with Laura.

“I need to show up your brother.” 

She giggled and took his hand. “Need, huh? Say no more.” 

When they returned to the other side, Jamie watched them answer their challenge. Connor did the same twirl with his partner but then added a dip at the end. 

“Oh, I see how it is.” Jamie responded. He whispered something into his partner’s ear and they started stepping in between each others space yet never tangling their legs together. It was memorizing how smoothly they functioned together and managed to intertwine without tripping. He would have tried it himself but her wedding dress was not made for precise dancing so he had another idea. 

“Do you remember the music box with the tiny ballerina?” He held her hands into a waltz position. 

“The one that pirouettes? Yeah, but I’m not that good.” She laughed as he walked in a circle with her. 

“I’ll be the motor and you’ll be the pin.” He increased the speed into a tighter circle until she faltered to keep up then he wrapped his arm firm around her waist. “Lift your leg.” She clutched onto his shoulders as he overpowered her with centrifugal force. Her laughter grew the faster he spun until she was completely helpless on one foot. Luckily people were already moving out of the way of her dress which was whipping behind them. He leaned into her and whispered the last step. “Jump.” With one last concerned look, she hopped and he braced her up against his torso. She tucked her legs up to his side as he floated her off the floor for multiple rotations. The pure bliss in her smile could’ve energized him for days but instead he halted to a sharp stop causing her legs to swing around his back then he dipped her almost to the floor. If he leaned just a few more inches, he could almost flip her right over his back. Her fingers death gripped into him as she screamed in both fear and delight. He rocked her back up and set her onto solid ground.

“Oh shit, I’m gonna barf. Haha!” She held her head as she wobbled back into his arms.

“Alright, I get it. You have unlimited strength ya big show off.” Jamie chuckled as Connor high-fived his partner in victory. 

“I’m- I’m gonna sit down for a hot second.” She said. He laughed at how she swayed off to the left then auto corrected back to the right and into the chair next to hank.

Connor continued on the dance floor while running into his friends Markus and Simon. They were also enjoying the romantic songs together and it felt somewhat wrong to interrupt their private conversation. “I’m so glad you two could make it. It means a lot to us that you both came.” 

The couple unwrapped their arms to congratulate Connor and then Markus gave him a brotherly hug. “We couldn’t let this occasion pass us by. Love is worth celebrating and you two couldn’t be more perfect for each other. Seeing you so happy makes me want to live life to the fullest.” Simon walked up beside Markus and entwined their fingers while he joined the conversation. 

“You’re wedding was truly beautiful. I was so moved by your dedication for her. It gives me hope that no matter how hard life can be, we can still achieve our desires and with a little patience, even the impossible can happen.” He lovingly looked to his side as Markus’s subtle smile grew wider. They both returned their gaze to Connor. 

“We couldn’t be happier for the two of you.” Markus said. 

“Thank you. We wish the same happiness for you as well.” Simon nodded while Markus thanked him. 

“I have some rounds to make but let’s meet again soon.” 

“We look forward to it.” 

Connor let them be and they resumed where they left off. The guests danced even further into the evening until they were too tried or drunk to stand. 

Most of his remaining time was spent socializing with her side of the family and establishing his new role among them. Occasionally, he caught his wife’s eyes in the crowd and shared secret glances from afar hoping next time they would wind up closer.

The night flew by as more and more people excused themselves and said their farewells with a plethora of wishes for many more happy years together. He later found his exhausted wife at Hanks table petting Sumo’s head which was happily nestled on her lap. When he walked up to them, they were sitting together in comfortable silence picking at tiny cookies on their plates. Even though this whole day was about celebrating their joining, it felt like ages since he had a chance to sit next to her. She reached out to hold his hand and spoke.

“You look tired, dear. Long night?”

“Yes. Physically and mentally drained.” He chuckled. Hank joined into the conversation.

“You still have to catch that flight tomorrow too, right?” They both groaned in acknowledgement. 

“Yeah.” She replied then gave him a familiar look that he associated with ‘she was done and ready to leave’. He gave her a nod back. 

“I think it’s time for us to leave.” 

Hank leaned onto the table and rubbed his head. “I think I’ll leave with you guys then. I’m fading pretty fast but man, wow, I haven’t partied this hard since the 2000′s. I know because I drank way too much this time.” Connor offered to help him up but he refused. Insisting that ‘he depended on him too much and was a grown ass man’. Whatever the excuse, they left together to the hotel and made sure Hank made it to the bed before retiring to their own room. 

Because of her plump dress she had to squeeze down the hallway if she wanted to walk beside him. 

“You think he’s going to be alright by himself?” She asked. 

“No but he’ll manage.” He stopped in front of the door and slid the key card to unlock it. “Hold on a second, I almost forgot.” 

“Hmm? Oh- ah!” He scooped under the fluff of her dress guessing where her legs were and picked her up into the traditional bridal carry. 

“Watch the door frame. Watch my head!” She ducked into him.

“I have perfect spacial awareness. I’m not going to bump into anything.” He chuckled but then the door smacked his backside causing him to bounce forward a bit. She dared to smirk at him. 

“Don’t even say a word.” 

She pressed her lips together as if a laugh could bust out at any moment. With a fake drop of a few inches, she gasped and clung to his clothes. He often wondered if it was because of her fear of heights that caused this reaction or general unease of someone else controlling her body. Either way it got him a teasing slap on the arm. Once he walked into the room, he set her onto the bed. She started to smile until halfway a yawn interrupted her. It was an exhausting night. For both of them.

**/ Remaining energy supply: 25%...1 Hour /**

She stood up and with her incredible flexibility twisted her arms behind to pull the zipper down. 

“I didn’t know you could do that.” He tried touching his own back to see if he could also do it but unfortunately no, he couldn’t. 

“I never had to wear a bustier before either. That I’m gonna need your help with.” 

“Of course, turn around.” He brought the zipper far enough for her to jump out of it. She stretched her arms like a heavy burden was lifted. Well, about 3.1kg of burden to be exact. The corset she wore underneath was even more demanding with its stiff boning preventing her from bending at the waist.

“Oh darling, no wonder you’re tired. This must’ve been crushing your rib cage all day.” 

“It’s not great but I do feel like I’m wearing armor. Punch me in the gut, I bet I won’t feel it.” She knocked on the shell so he gave her a little bump in the stomach. “See? Nothing.” He couldn’t help but laugh at her when she flexed her arm muscles at him.

“Alright fearless warrior, turn around.” He was a bit overwhelmed by how many ties were strapping her into shape. “24 laces. You may want to sit down because this will take a while.”

“Laura was brutal. I swear I felt like those old timey Victorian women going to a ball or something.” He untied the first one with notable effort. 

“At least you don’t have to wear it ever again. The long term effects of shifting your internal organs around would be a problem.”

“Well, beauty is pain but on the up side, I didn’t have to wear heels all night.” She stuck out her feet from under the hem of her petticoat to reveal that at some point during the evening, she swapped out her stilettos for fuzzy flip flops. He cracked a smiled at how mismatched it was with her regal outfit. He opened the back up farther and began tugging loose multiple strings. 

”Today was amazing. Everything was amazing.” Her enthusiastic voice recalled all the lingering excitement. 

“It was. It went a lot smoother than I thought too.”  They sat in relaxing silence while the afterglow dimmed. She turned her face to the side slightly.

“This is gonna sound dumb but I never really thought I would get married. I didn’t think I could connected with anyone this deeply before.” Her eyes met his. “I’m so glad I met you.”

He leaned in to brush his lips to her ear. “How does it feel, Mrs. Anderson?” His hands smoothed over her slender shoulders as he watched the wonder unfold in her eyes. 

“I’m Mrs. Anderson, wow.” She let out a breathy laugh. “It’s surreal. Not in a bad way but... I thought I would end up alone, you know?”

“I do. I was so sure being a detective was all I wanted in life but it was nothing more than a limited mindset. ‘Husband’ is going to take some time to get used to but I can’t wait to see what the future will bring.” Once he was finished with her corset, he slipped out of his jacket and unbuttoned his shirt. She left to get dressed in comfy pajamas and untied her hair. Kneeling down to his feet, she tugged off his shoes and rubbed his worn arch. He laid back on the mattress with a pleased sigh then her fingers sneaked up to his belt and slid it through. Bit by bit she removed his garments until he was left in his unzipped pants. He lifted his hips to remove them. 

“I’m even wearing underwear.” He smiled at her.

“Like a true gentleman.” She giggled then trailed kisses up his neck and to his lips while their bodies relaxed. Her weight sank into him as her lips stole his attention. His fingers ran through her perfumed curls of hair and held the back of her head. Her kisses remained soft. Around 11 but in his lethargic state of mind, this was just as divine. Her lips released him to travel down his chin and along his jaw. He closed his eyes as her hands journeyed on his bare chest and abdomen. His content hum extended the farther her fingers searched around the small of his back and into his briefs.

**/ Remaining energy supply: 15%...24 minutes /**

“I don’t have much left in me, love. I’m sorry.” She rested her head onto his chest as he stroked down her spine. 

“That’s alright. I’m pretty tired too. How about we go bed and maybe we’ll feel rested for the airport tomorrow.” 

“Doubtful but we should get as much sleep as possible.” He rolled them over to settle down for the night and reached for her left hand.

He removed her prosthetic from her arm and kissed the glimmering ring.  

“Better not lose it. It’s more expensive than me now.” She teased. He decided to set it on the nightstand. 

“We both know that’s not true.” He kissed the end of her wrist and fell beside her where she continued barraging him with tiny smooches along his cheek. His hands gathered her face to examine the pure adoration in her eyes. His thumb stroked her cheek in return. “There would never be enough money to buy you. You are a priceless rarity.” She kissed his hand while hiding her blush.

“Hank was right. You are a big sap now.” She pressed a endearing 5 into his lips. “But you probably know by now, I would give you anything you want.” He responded with another kiss.

“You’ve already given me the most precious possession you have my beautiful wife... your love.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO this took quite a bit to put together into something I could be happy with and I am bushed! I might take a few days to relax so I'm not certain the final chapter will be on time but don't worry. I am going to complete this it's just a matter of me doing it. Until then, please enjoy the story so far. ^.^


	11. Paradise in Her Arms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The honeymoon chapter! This is another NSFW chapter that includes a tiny bit of kinky stuff but mostly fluff.

“Its so humid out that I can practically feel my skin breaking out in a sweat.” She removed her hat to wipe her forehead as she entered the cabana. He tossed their travel suit cases onto the bed with a dull thud.

“That man was very insistent on carrying our belongings. We should keep an eye out for him in case he returns.” 

“Sweetie, I think that guy was a bellhop.” 

“Hmm, I didn’t see him wearing a uniform and I don’t have any records of him in the database.” 

“He's probably a local and his clothes are part of the theme. You know, tropical. Anyway, I wouldn’t worry about him. Check this out!” She wandered over to the curtain and pulled it aside revealing the grand glass doors to the beach.

Once she opened the sliding doors, a wall of ocean sounds hit his ears. The noise was unfamiliar yet relaxing in its repetitive rhythm. He decided to join her outside in the warm breeze.

“I still don’t understand what we are suppose to do here besides swim and lay on the beach. Is this a typical honeymoon?”

“Honeymoons were meant for couples to get busy and hold coconuts with fruity drinks in it.” She giggled.

“Busy with what?” He asked. Her laughter increased.

“Well, sex but personally I just like having the time away from all the bustle of the city. It’s just tiring being stressed out by traffic, crowds, protests, or whatever else demands attention.” She lead the way down the sand dusted stairs that followed to the shoreline. The strong wind played with his hair and then he took the longest breath he had this whole week. He was still running on only half capacity because of the wedding but he would manage. Her hand reached out to hold his when she spoke next.

“Tell me, when was the last time you saw an ocean this spectacular?”

He turned to watch the waves peak and sink into their nebulous forms. “Never. This is my first time seeing the ocean in person. I have stored away millions of pictures digitally but...” He bent down to feel the cool water rush past his fingers and along the sand. “It’s so different than the lake we visited. It feels... endless. I’m not sure how to describe it.” He sat down to fully immerse himself and began to sink into the muddy sand. The grits were so finely tumbled unlike the bulky rocks in Michigan.

“Sounds like you’ve been cooped up in the city too long. Just think dear, there’s a whole world out there living its own life unnoticed. Things we’ll never see or explain and yet doesn’t need a reason to exist. It just...” She shrugged trying to find the right word. “...is. It’s kinda wonderful, yeah?” The sun danced off her skin and hair more intensely than the splotches of light back home. It was like examining a hidden facet of her that was finally able to relax. The calming effect of nature even crept into his mental attitude. 

“I think I would like to travel more often. I have all these images and collections of data in my head but it’s nothing like being in the moment.”

“Knowing without context?” She grinned at him because she knew his inner workings all too well. With a hum of agreement, he watched her shake off her lethargic thoughts to move onto exciting exploration.

“I’m gonna go get changed and grab my snorkeling gear. I can’t wait! You’re gonna love this!” She pecked him on top of his head and skipped away to the beach house.  

Connor ignored the other tourists while he waited and stared out into the ocean for a extensive time. He counted the number of waves that crashed onto the shore and drew back. Each one bringing a new form of energy into the world just to be sucked back into its collection. He had everything he wanted so what was his plan now? Was there one? He supposed this was when humans would start a family but they were biologically incompatible. She had told him several times that it didn’t matter but inside him remained fear just under the surface. How could he not hear people’s hushed words. Even from her family which was now  _his_. The dramatic increase in sexual activity must have been her natural instincts taking advantage of her peak fertility. Was he wasting her time just for momentary pleasure? Would she grow to regret her decision to stay with him?

Subtle sounds of footsteps behind him caught his attention and he discovered she had been standing behind him this whole time. She lifted her sunglasses to set them on top of her head revealing a concerned expression. He spoke before she could ask.

“Oh, I didn’t realize you were ready.” He laughed as a way to brush off the lingering thoughts but yet again she knew him too well. She walked up and sat alongside him while her arm hooked around his left. “You were so lost in thought that I didn’t want to bother you.” Her lips pressed a trail of kind kisses up his shoulder until her eyes held onto his sorrowful gaze. “You look so intense, sweetheart. What were you thinking about?” Her eyes reflected their vibrant colors in the sunlight. Such a wonderful body paired with a wonderful mind. Her physique that she had been working towards was finally revealing how mentally dedicated she was unlike his. His was borrowed from another living person who had to work for such grace. His fingers stroked her cheek and smoothed around behind her ear. Just holding her. It would be a shame to never pass on these beautiful genetics to the next generation.

“I’m afraid I’m being selfish.” 

“Selfish?” She repeated.

“I’ve noticed how frequently you initiate sex and I’ve begun to wonder if you, from an biological standpoint, are... unsatisfied.” She cocked her head in confusion from his tone. “I took away your chance for a normal life. You can’t have children through me and yet you still want me as your husband. I feel selfish to take that potential from you.” He sighed.

“It’s not selfish to love someone.” He rolled his head away but she gathered him back to her. “I enjoy sex because I want to be with you. I don’t want children, Connor. I can barely tolerate them.” She chuckled as her thumb caressed his hand. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t be parents. To be honest, the idea terrifies me and I don’t think I’m ready for that kind of responsibility just yet. But who knows, maybe one day when we’re older and wiser, we might want that in our lives. Until then, please believe me when I say, I’m happy like this. I don’t want to rush past the best part. Being just us.” 

“Just us.” He whispered and leaned over his side to hold her snug. Her hands traveled over to hug him tighter as his lips pressed onto her forehead. He adjusted her glasses then rested the side of his head on her. They admired the rare scenic horizon for a change. Her tender hand returned to weave into his while their feet rubbed up against each other half buried in the sand. The foam collected around them as the music of the Earth calmed his mind. He closed his eyes and buried his face into her hair while her fingers sought out more of his touch. This simple moment was all he wanted. This warm comforting fire in his heart that guaranteed him it would never burn out. That she would always spark this beautiful feeling within him.

_I love her._

_I love her so much._

He felt the subtle shift in her body adjust and he allowed her room to tilt her head towards him. Her cheek settled against his as she planted her lips. He smiled then rotated to kiss her wandering lips. So perfect. He lightly sucked on her lower lip and with a delicate pop, he let go. Her eyes were still closed so he cupped her obedient face back to his where she belonged. He loved the heat in her breath. The smooth blending of their lips mimicking the ocean’s tide. Each one just as precious as the last. He traveled to the other side widening just a bit more and she followed suit. Her hands stroked up his thin shirt and gripped into the fabric. He pressed harder until he loosened a stifled moan from her throat.

He released her lips and joined her panting letting his nose circled around the tip of hers. He really could just spent the rest of the day like this but having passerby stare at them made it a little hard to continue.

“Just us then.” He grazed along her tempting lips as she spoke.

“Yes.” Her smile touched his as he decided to finish their physical conversation for a later time. Her head perked up. “Do you still want to go snorkeling because I heard this side of the beach has amazing wildlife.” She smiled up to him with those adorable eyes. He cleared his throat to emphasize his reply.

“I’ve collected articles about 453 species that live in this ecosystem alone. We will definitely discover something.” He smirked returning to their childlike playfulness from before.

“Only one way to find out.” She jumped up to her feet with all of her snorkeling gear and made a dash to the water. He’ll give her a head start since she was carrying equipment but only a few seconds. After removing his shirt and easing up to his feet, he dusted himself off then sprinted after her. This was always his favorite part. The anticipation. The countdown of meeting accelerations pumped his heart with sprightliness which only doubled when she reacted. Despite all the recent excising, she was still no match for him. The terror in knowing he was going to tackle her, because he always did if she could land safely, made her panic and fight harder against the waves. 

“Incoming!” He shouted causing her to scream and with one forceful push off, he knocked her down into the water. He even managed to flip with her from the sheer speed. 

“Fuckin’ shit!” Was the first sentence to make it to the surface. He laughed as she blew the salt water out of her nose and attempted to over throw him. After several minutes of collecting her flung equipment, they finally went snorkeling. Being the perfect candidate for underwater exploration, he walked down to the sea floor and gathered shells for her to add to her collection. 

“I found something quite impressive at the bottom. You want to go all the way to the floor with me?” He tread over to the spot and waited for her to respond. 

“I don’t know, that looks pretty far down. I’m gonna drown if I try that.” 

“No, you’ll be fine. I’ll make sure you survive. I do have an interest in your well being after all.” He winked. After she gave him a reluctant ‘Okay’, he wrapped his arms around her waist. 

“Take a few deep breaths and remember to relax. Keeping your stress down will extend your ability to remain submerged.” He counted the seconds between each inhale and exhale. “You’re doing good. When we go, let me do all the work so you don’t waste any energy.” 

“Alright...” She clutched his shoulders into a tight grip. 

“You’re going to be fine, I promise.” 

She nodded as her lungs filled with oxygen and slid the goggles over her face. He sank below the surface holding onto her as they made their descent for several seconds keeping in mind the internal timer he set for her. Once they hit the sand, a group of butterflyfish and blue tangs split away from them. Reaching into the front pocket of his trunks, he threw pieces of food at the school of fish. They swarmed around them almost close enough to reach out and touch them but then he spotted something else. Something much more impressive.

He pointed towards the reef’s underside in the shadows leading her to jump into his arms. A giant grouper was nestled out of the current and only peeked out its head for a brief second. The sheer mass of this creature was fascinating. Approximately four feet in length. He would’ve approached it but she rapidly tapped his shoulder. Clasping her snug, he launched off the floor and thrust her up to the surface. She took a couple of stabilizing gasps and started laughing.

“Oh my god, that thing was huge! Like gobble up your foot huge!” 

“Let’s get a picture with it!” He suggested.

“No! Are you crazy? That was terrifying!  _You_ can go back but I’m good right here.”

“Did you see the barracuda on the way up?” 

“A what?” She shook her head.

“Barracuda. They’re long silver scavengers. They probably think we’re hunters and are waiting for us to leave behind food.”

She started searching below her. “Wait, that’s the one with the teeth right?”

“It has teeth, yes.” 

“Oh, I’M DONE. Hell no to this scary shit.” She swam past him and headed towards the shore. 

“This will be the only time we can get a picture with the fish.” He pointed to her compacted camera that he was carrying around for the spontaneous photo ops. Her swimming was making significant progress and she had to shout for him to hear her.

“Have fun! I’ll see you on solid land where nothing will nibble on my toes.” She waved goodbye and sidestroked beyond his ability to intervene. With a shrug, he accepted this challenge that was better suited for him anyway.

He sat on a nearby rock near the bottom and watched the sun dance across the surface scattering beams of light along his skin. His hair rolled back and forth in a calm flow akin to the seaweed. This could very well be his new favorite hideaway. Shame they didn’t have this back home. 

**Recording Start.**

He remained perfectly still like a sunken statue and noticed how the fish eventually forgot he was alive. He smiled when he felt the tiny fish mistake his fingers for worms and spooked them away.

**Recording Saved.**

He would’ve taken photos with her camera but something about this moment made him want this to be his alone. His own piece of paradise to come back to when life became too chaotic. He shook his head to wake up his overworking brain. This was about turning off his calculations and possibilities for a moment like she mentioned and taking in the joys right in front of him. Enough brooding. That joy was waiting for him back at the cabana and he wasn’t going to miss out. 

After trudging through the waves, sand, and stairs, he found her sitting on the bed with a champagne bottle gripped between her legs and her two hands working together to twist off the wire cage on the cork. 

“Sweetheart, what  _are_  you doing?” 

“I am trying to open this without scaring myself half to death. I saw some people at the wedding doing it and the sound startles me.”

“When did you start drinking champagne? Did you change your mind about alcohol?”

“Turns out, I only like it when its mixed with other drinks then I can barely taste the alcohol. I saw it sitting there with this nice note for us to partake and thought ‘why not’. I mean, it’s ours anyway might as well have fun.” She shrugged as she offered it up to him. He placed the bottom of the bottle in his right hand and his left on the cap. He chuckled as she slid farther away from him waiting for something traumatic to happen. She kept repeating the word ‘careful’ like he was holding an explosive. 

“Haha, it’s alright. I’m not going to let it fly around the room, I promise.” With controlled ease, he rotated the bottle until he heard the hiss of gas escaping then the cork popped into his palm. Even though he was calm throughout the whole procedure, she still jumped from the sound. He lifted up the cork for her to see.

“Behold, all my fingers are intact.”

“Nice!” She raised her hand for an easily won high five. He went in but at the last second veered off to the left missing her hand. 

“Hey!” She tried again but he duped her. “Rude! You will accept this high five!” She rose to her knees and grappled his wrist making it impossible to miss now. After slapping it a few times, he stood there and laughed as her uncalled intensity died down. 

“Let’s go down to the fire pit on the beach. A couple of people have started gathering. Maybe they’ll want some of this. I feel bad wasting this much on just a single glass. What do you think?” She poured herself a little into a flute glass and sipped it. Her face instantly puckered at the taste. 

“And yet you still hate it.” He held in a knowing smirk.

“I thought it would taste different. I’m gonna have to mix it with something. Let’s find some orange juice while we’re out.”

They walked down to meet and greet their fellow travelers and exchanged drinks. She seemed to open up more as they passed along their stories. Many of them were celebrating their anniversaries, weddings or simply the sights. Hours flew by as the sky turned yellow then red and eventually black. By then, she had made drunk friends and found the orange juice to cover the burning taste of alcohol quite well. 

“You seem to have perfected the art of blending mimosas, dear. I’m guessing it’s your favorite now?” He kicked out his feet and stretched his legs along the sand. He tried tuning out how rambunctious their new acquaintances were as they forgot what volume was. 

“I can kinda pretend it’s just a fizzy pop then it doesn’t remind me of that time I threw up on my 21st birthday. Haha- Hic!” She covered her mouth before  laughing again. “It doesn’t taste as bad when I add orange juice though.”

“That’s because you’re adding sugar.”

“Well, it is a special occasion. Would you like to share one with me?” She handed him her glass and he indulged in their cheers for the moment. Her hands rubbed up and down her bare legs a couple of times before she wobbled a bit. That was his cue. 

“Alright dear. I think it’s time to turn in for the night.” He twisted onto his knees and faced her heavy blinking eyes.

“But it’s not even late. We can sleep in tomorrow. Let’s stay up as long as we can!”

“Come on, give me the bottle.” He opened his hand.

“Sure, whatever. I don’t even care about it anymore.” She shook her head as she tried to lean over to hand it to him. Her balance was laughable unstable.

“Look, I’m fine. I’m just cold.”

“Uh huh.” He teased her causing such a darling embarrassment to bloom across her face.

“I’m kinda cold. Are you cold? We should put more logs in the fire.” She wasn’t completely lying but he could tell her body was exhausted.

“Oh no, no. It’s way past midnight. Come on, let’s leave the bottle with them and head back.”

“Wait, no. You don’t want to miss all this, right? Just look at the sky. It’s gorgeous.”

“And we’ll see it again tomorrow. I going to lift you up so grab my hands.” He hovered over her cross legged position on the ground. She curled her finger in a ‘come hither’ motion. He leaned in a little closer.

“I know I say this a lot but you’re hot. Why did they make you so hot? It’s not even fair. You should sit closer to me and keep me warm, babe.” Definitely the alcohol. Her flirty wink crumbled his resolve bringing him down to rest on his knees and holding in a chuckle as he rubbed her arms. 

“How can I argue with that logic?” His lips parted into an even wider smile when she stared at his mouth. Honestly, he was surprised she kissed him this close to their fellow patrons but then again her system was certainly influenced. Her tongue revealed just how much influence she was under which wasn’t as much as he thought.

“You're not even drunk, you silly. You’re just acting loopy.” He pecked her lips.

“Wha? I’m totally drunk. I had, like, a bunch of drinks.” 

“That you barely drank before passing on to someone else. You’re tipsy at best.”

His words seemed to confound her. “Pfft. Nah!” She waved her hand dismissively. 

“If you’re serious about staying up, then let’s go somewhere more...” His fingers pulled around the straps of her top. “Secluded.” Her eyes blinked up to his and hummed seductively.

They said farewell to their new travel buddies and strolled along the shoreline. She stopped at the hammock near their cabana to relax as he went to fetch a blanket for them to snuggle up in but when he returned, she was fast asleep huddled with her knees against her chest. 

“I told you.” He sighed as his fingers brushed along her shoulder and down her arm. No response. She was already too far gone. He gathered her into his arms and carried her the rest of the way back and onto the bed. Her clothes would have to stay on for tonight unless he flopped her limbs around but he was also reaching his limit. Instead, he crawled under the covers next to her but then her eyelids slightly opened. Her words mumbled into the sheets.

“Are the stars still out?” 

“Yes and they’re beautiful.” His arms pulled her closer while she nuzzled up into his neck and breathed softly.

“...Sorry... I think, I’m...” She trailed off.

“Shhh. Go back to sleep, dear.” Her arm wrapped around his chest before she dozed off again. He remained awake for an hour to let her settle into a deeper relaxation all the while listening to her lungs become fuller and heavier. He synced his breathing to hers so each expansion of air in her chest fit perfectly into his compression and visa versa. The rhythm was effortless but it felt like they combined into a single apparatus. This was what sleep would feel like. Blissfully unaware in automation. As close to pure autonomy she could be. After the last fidgets in her legs stopped, he rested his head against hers as he too signed off for the night.

 

 

 

 

**Pressure detected in component PX369. Aborting hibernation mode. Initiating revitalization.**

He awoke to a nerve burning sensation that jarred his gears into motion. His eyes immediately flew down his naked body and what he saw sent a shiver through his spine. His wife lounged comfortably between his thighs and held his dick while she licked up the entire length. Her other hand spread his thighs farther apart as she rolled her head to the side sucking sweet kisses higher up to the tip. His fingers curled into the sheet when she barely let the head into her mouth for a second before continuing over to the neglected side. 

If her eyes weren’t closed, she would’ve laughed at his squirming face right now. Part of him wanted to ask her why but soon enough he dropped his head into the pillow and accepted her gift. Her forearms pressed into the tops of his hips opening him up to more of her tantalizing touches. His own tongue roamed along his teeth in a similar fashion to her strokes along the underside of his shaft. Her pace was tortuously slow but wonderfully curious. Any place she normally wouldn’t have time for she explored at her leisure. Even her nails gliding up and down the innermost section of his thighs made his abdomen tighten. 

Her flickering tongue was what eventually did him in and exposed his pleasure with a gentle whimper. Keeping still, she opened her eyes and smiled to acknowledge his wakeful presence but that didn’t stop her from sucking him again. His back arched off the bed and flattened back. 

“Hmmm... Good morning, love.” He cooed to her. The giggles off her lips tickled through his groin as she played with the head. With a tiny pop, she released him.

“Good morning.” Her hands teased his shaft making a circle shape with her fingers while sliding up and down just tightening enough to make his fingernails drag across the bed. 

“This is a nice start to a day.” His hips ground against her fingers. 

“You slept in so I thought I would have some fun.” She raised his leg and nibbled the thick muscle in his calf. 

“Hmm!” His head lulled to the side. “You must be ovulating if you want me this bad.” She scoffed at his comment.

“Wha, No. This has nothing to do with my biological clock crap. This is just for fun.” She smiled as her thumb pressed firmly against the delicate skin between the head and shaft. The same one that always made him keen with delight but this time she wasn’t letting go. No, she was proving a point torturing him like this. “Tell me, what evolutionary standpoint would this be for?” She rubbed tight circles into him until he was wiggling his hips.

“To- Ah!- to seduce me into intercourse. O-Obviously.” She chuckled at the last word. 

“Only if I let you but I think I’m not going to just out of spite. I will show you that I do this for your pleasure, not for function.”

A moan ripped out of his throat when she began to pump him faster. His eyes darted around the bright room then back to her firm hands. Her sheer flowing white blouse couldn’t hide the fact that her nipples were perked with excitement. To tease him even more, she halted all movement to remove her shirt leaving her in the same skirt as last night and resumed where she left off. His wandering hands smoothed down her neck to palm her breasts which she leaned into with a giggle.

“Looks like someone is having a good time already.” She showed off the strings of precum on her fingers and then smear it around the head drawing lines along the slit. She slid her messy fingers into her seductive mouth to savor the taste. Oh how he wished that was his hard dick in that sweet mouth. 

“Do you like it, love? What do I taste like on your human tongue?” His dirty question made her partly laugh and partly shy away.

Her eyes blinked up towards him. “You taste different than what I originally thought you would.” With a powerful stroke of her tongue, she licked all the way up his shaft and flicked the ridge of his tip. The edge of her tongue was digging into the slit when his stomach felt like it flipped upside down. 

“Ahh! MMmm!” His toes curled. 

“Your taste is too subtle to notice but it sort of picks up anything that does have a strong aroma. Remember the chocolate syrup a while back?” 

He nodded. 

“You tasted amazing then.”

“Is that why you wouldn’t let me sit back up?” She hummed a low giggle in response. Her hand rubbed down to his balls and continued on to massage his smooth skin before skimming across his sensitive ring of muscles around his asshole. He dropped his head with a low moan as she caressed and played with him. Letting him flirt with the idea but that vanished once her mouth and hands returned to work squeezing his already sensitive cock. Not with speed but with pressure. He wouldn’t be able to last with more speed. Not when she was savoring every strand of clenching muscle with her twirling tongue. His hands went to cradle her head side to side adjusting her to poke his tip against the inside of her smooth cheeks.

“Hmmm! Ooh baby...” He whined when she pulled off from him.

“Feelin’ good, babe?” She crawled over to get her personal stash of lube out of her luggage then nestled into position. She dripped a puddle of lube onto his hip to coated her fingers with and returned to massage the rim of his ass. He recalled her telling him about this mysterious place  _inside_ him that would be hyper sensitive to males. Whether or not he would respond well too was the more accurate question. He lifted his legs which she then helped scoot him to a better angle. Both of them were kinda unsure how it functioned but he trusted her even if it ended up not being pleasurable.

The first index of her finger dipped into him to test his reaction. “MMmmhh. That’s weird. Oooh.” He tried to hold in his gasps as she waited for him to adjust to the new sensation. Something inside his core was certainly responding. Her other hand rubbed up and down his chest to distract him from the growing pressure. Once he finally relaxed, she slid all the way in until he felt the palm of her hand cup his skin. “Ooohmm!” His teeth raked across his lip as she curled her fingers up and against a tender spot. His body involuntarily flexed and became a multiplier for all the other sensations that traveled up his nerves. “Ah! Haaah-mmnng~” His hands clamped down on his face to center his awareness. Air blew through his nose violently even though she was barely moving.

“Are you okay?” Her free hand tried to relax his clenched face with soothing caresses. Between his tiny gasps, he nodded and gripped her hand tight. 

“I’m okay. Hahh! I’m okay.” He chanted to himself. After giving him some time to calm down, she smoothed his hair away from his eyes. 

“Why are you covering your mouth, dear?” She giggled. 

“I don’t know. I just needed to control myself.” He let out a deep breath. She crawled up to his side to whisper in his ear. 

“You look so beautiful like this.” The sound alone made his heart melt. It was obvious by now that compliments always made him weak yet hers always meant so much more. He turned his head to catch her lips and smothered her in affectionate kisses. His mouth parted from hers once her slender finger began pressing up inside him again. 

His moans and cries were starting to overtake the delicate silence while her body remained collected and focused. “The sounds you make...” She ground her pelvis along his side with a hot whine. He attempted to roll over but she pinned him onto his back. “Not yet. You’re coming first.” She pecked his cheek before sliding down his body and twisting her finger with purpose.

There was something intimate and intimidating about how she was the only one to explore this deprived sensor and make his body scream with just the bare minimum of movements.

“Your mouth- haahh- please I want to feel... I...Aah!”

Her lips wrapped around his head and encased him into her hot mouth. His back arched into her creaking the bed from the jolt. 

“Ah! Fuck!” He whimpered from the strong suction. “Just like that! Oooh, fuck you’re so perfect. I want to fuck you hard against this bed right now.”

Her nails dug into the fleshy bits of his hips trapping him. When her excitement got the better of her, she gagged at a particularly deep stroke and recoiled a bit.  

He instantly held her face. “Easy there... easy.” He stroked her hair out of the way from blocking his vision. “Are you okay?” He panted.

“Yeah, I just... really wanted to impress you but I...dammit.” She returned to slip his cock into her mouth but with a more comfortable pace. His fingers combed through her hair. 

“You’re already amazing. Every thing you do is hot. You feel incredible.” It only took a couple of seconds to reach that same level of excitement. “Just like that. Oh please I want it so much.” Her moan and swirling tongue caused him to twitch inside of her and her fingers kept rubbing deep in that same sweet spot in time with his own hip movements. Every pleasure her mouth created led his hips to jerk and then he would be reminded of the firm constant pressure of her finger hitting him with every stroke. Every clench of his muscles around her intensified every internal sensation. Trapped between the two actions competing for his attention, his hands curled into fists and his body didn’t know what to do with all this overloading input. His eyes pinched out tears from the intense dueling pleasures.

“I’m gonna- I’m so- Aaah! Please!” He slammed his head back as his panting sped up to shallow needy breaths. His back arched off the bed with each suction from her mouth and she fucked him even harder into his tight body.

His hands and legs were shaking so much he could not stop fidgeting. He bit his lips and furrowed his brows as each thrust and suction drilled into his head. Each of her actions commanded him closer and closer towards pure bliss until...

“Oh fuck!” He shouted in the air realizing there was no going back. 

He writhed against the crashes of shattering sensitivity and she worked him even harder driving him into a gasping locked grip into her hair. Then his hands went wild rubbing against his face and chest seeking  _every_ fiber of himself until he let out all the air in his body into one drawn out cry and erupted into her hungry mouth. She didn’t stop there. Instead she took him deeper until he could feel the back of her throat and he entirely lost his mind. His nails clawed at the sheets as his toes curled until she milked every ounce of him from the inside out. 

He laid in a complete stupor limbless on the bed. He was pretty sure he lost his hearing for a moment or two but he did indeed survive. Once he fully booted back to consciousness, he reveled at the sight of her still kissing his shaky hips. Her hands glided across his body trying to relax his taut muscles. For a brief moment their eyes connected and she smiled up to him. His hand laced into hers and basked in the soft thrumming of energy he was emitting. 

He finally understood. These silent spaces between actions were not just for him but for her too. This wasn’t about procreation but the pure pleasure of being with him. Experiencing this together. Being so interwoven together that his happiness would be hers too.

Even though she planned to only satisfied him, he couldn’t abandon her aroused senses to starve off into the cold morning wind. 

“Come here, love.” He beckoned her.

Her glowing warmth that settled between his legs spread up his torso until he felt her arms slide underneath holding him into a secure embrace. Her nose drew circles into his neck and her lips trailed kisses along his jaw. 

“Judging by your noodle legs, I think you liked that.” He burst into a series of breathy giggles and pulled her tighter into his arms. He reunited their lips with a modest 8 but heated up to a 20 in a few seconds once his system recharged. She always underestimated how swiftly he bounced back from these passion sessions. With a flip of their positions, he yanked her skirt along with her panties off in a single motion then buried his head into her breasts. He licked her nipples before he traveled down to her squirming hips to capture her legs and anchor them over his shoulders. It was incredibly easy to hoist her ass above her chest and show her all the delicious ways his tongue could make her burn in agony.  

“Ha-ah! Hey! I didn’t say you could have me!” She gasped as the fingers in his hair tugged his head back and off of her. 

“Oh, do you want me to stop then?” He smirked. 

“Well... I didn’t say  _that_.” Her coy voice played with his ears. His hands ran up and down the sides of her body in a tender motion. 

“It’s like you said. I, too, do this for fun. Just for us.” His mouth covered over her clit to give it a delicate suck. He watched her eyes roll back shut and repeated that last sentence he said as she relaxed into his hold. Her thick thighs tightened around his head the more his intensity built driving excited moans from her. 

“Connor...” She patted his bicep as if to tap out. He lowered her onto the bed concerned something was wrong but then she threw him onto his back with a playful giggle. He laid there pleasantly bewildered as she sat on his lap and rode him. His already aching dick slipped into her slick tight warmth. After so much teasing, she needed him and it took his breath away.

“Ooh! Love. Faah! You feel so amazing.” His hands skimmed along her smooth legs as she leaned away and gripped his knees for support. He was captivated by the sight of how he spread her open with his cock and taking every inch of him. How lovely she looked swiveling her hips to feel his girth stretch her a bit more while being so deeply buried inside her. She moaned again with need.

“Haah, C-connor.” The sounds of being overwhelmed slipping out of her beautiful mouth. He growled possessively while he lunged up to encase her into his arms and fell bringing her to a horizontal position. 

His hands spread her ass cheeks to allow his thrusting just the right angle into her. He reveled in watching her body jiggle and her eyebrows pinch together from the rapid hammering. She cried out when he slapped her ass and reached farther into her wide bent stance. Her head rolled back as her moans grew louder and her nails stabbed into his shoulders. 

She rose back up to bounce on his dick making slick noises with each slip inside her dripping pussy. His mouth opened wide as air huffed out in time with her jumps. She landed harder and higher until he was a whining mess. He gripped her hips to help lift her and plunge deeper. His head tossed on the pillow for a moment trying to regain some composure but she was so tight and hot. He pulled her down to his chest again to squeeze her snug but then rolled them over so he could be on top. If they wanted any chance of coming together, he would have to control it. He pecked her lips one more time before whispering his next command.

“I’m going to count down and when I say one, I want you to let everything go.” He pulled her hips up to sink into her again.

"Sweetie, I don’t know if- aahh!- I can.” She hummed then pressed her lips together reveling in that last stroke.

“I will make sure of it.” With a sharp jut of his hips, she gasped at his demonstration alongside the low timber of his voice setting the timer into motion.

“Ten.” He quickened his pace to the same speed as before. 

“Fuck, I don’t- ah!” Her arms coiled around his body smothering him into her neck. 

“Nine.” He nipped at the sensitive skin around her neck and breasts. Her back arched into his mouth as he suckled onto her nipple. His fingers dug into her hip joints keeping her firmly locked against his rutting. 

“Eight.” His mouth licked up her collarbone to suck on her neck. 

“I wanna come right now! Ohh! Please baby!” Her hips ground up to meet his thrusts making him groan. 

“No, ohhmp! The wait will be worth it. Hmm! I promise, love.” Her fingers tugged at the hair near her scalp as she tried holding it all in. 

“Seven.” He ate the delicious whimpers and moans straight out of her mouth all the while rocking into her and gradually increasing the power behind each wind up and thrust. Her hot arousal coated his cock making every slide in effortless.  

“Six.” This was when he felt himself losing at his own game. He tucked his face into the nook of her sweaty neck to hide his beaten expression. He listened to the air scratching through her throat as each thrust sank her farther into the covers. 

“Five. Halfway there, Love. Just a little more. Oh, please.” Her nails dragged across his back causing him to growl against her skin. He sneaked his hand down her fluttering stomach and teased her clit. 

“Oh fuck! I fuckin’ hate you so much right now! Aaah!” She bit out the words between her moans but he only chuckled in response. She retaliated by inserting that same finger into his taut hole earning a gasp from him.

“Four... fuck, you feel so good.” Her prosthetic hand peeled back the layers on his face and neck as she gripped his hair hard. The sensation of their skin rubbing together drew him even closer as he watched her eyes squint closed.

“Three.” He held her face as his panting lips ghosted along hers and shared the same breath. Watching her profound emotional expressions was enough for him to want to end it all here and now. His whole body twitched with need so he sped up his fingers tipping her closer.

“Connor!” Her legs kicked up and hooked around his waist allowing him deeper into her sensitive channel which also deepened her finger to the next digit inside him. He loved the feeling of being smothered into her body but he was trying so hard to control himself.

“Just a little bit longer. Wait for me, love.”

“I can’t!” She shook her head wildly as her hair stuck to her tense face. 

“Two.” The desperate noises coming from them echoed in his head. “Look at me, love.” Her eyes struggled to stay open under his relentless rhythm of constantly need more and more of her. She squinted again as each raspy breath became labored as if just seeing him would be her undoing. 

“Hhaah! Fuck!” With stifled gasps and rough squeezes from her hands, she was ready to spring any second possibly without him. He felt her insides clamp down on each stroke making the most wonderful friction. With a convulsion of her muscles, he throbbed inside her and moaned.

“One!” He slammed their lips together until her scream broke them apart. He lunged into her while her hips jumped off the bed to crash against his full force. His fingers vibrated on her clit until sudden muscle tremors rippled through her and her arms crushed him into her. She bit into his shoulder that would for sure leave a dent but fuck, it felt amazing. All these brutal forces burst into raw pleasure as he locked her down onto his cock and erupted deep inside her writhing body. Her greedy arms and legs bound him impossibly tight to capture all of his frantic throes of passion. He thrust two more times and she cried out as each slam claimed her. He kept rocking his hips riding out her dying spasms that still wanted the last drop from him.

Eventually his legs softened and he rested on top of her comfy chest. He mumbled a satisfied groan as she continued to comb his hair. Once their pounding hearts slowed down, he dropped his head into her neck taking in her subtle pulse against his lips. She cuddled his shivering wreck of a body into her warm embrace not caring at all how heavy he was. He shifted up to his elbows and traced along the smooth contours of her neck and clavicle. She was the first to chuckle with the remaining breath in her lungs. 

“I’ll admit.” She took a long inhale. “That was worth it.” He smiled and scooped her up for another kiss. A tired 9 was all he could offer at the moment. The taste of her lips were still thrumming with excess heat. He dipped his tongue only a little to capture some of that lingering sweetness and smooth vibration in her vocal chords. The chill morning air blew across his bare skin and sent him hiding into her warm shelter. 

From the music of their calmed breathing to their dull heartbeats, everything was so serene. The distant sound of the ocean bled through the windows lulling him into that piece of paradise. Her lazy fingers circled around the back of his head as her voice spoke so gently that he felt it more than he heard it.

“I love you.” He closed his eyes as he burrowed into her arms and with that same sweetness, he replied. 

“I love you, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it! The very end! For realzies this time and I want to thank you all for going on this ride with me on my first real writing project. All your kudos and comments filled me with joy and fueled me through even the hardest of chapters! I have nothing left to add to this story so I will leave it here for you all to enjoy. Again thank you all for reading!


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